Truck route big talk around public works committee table

By Michael Gorman

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

Town councillors saw what could be the future of traffic management for the area and heard more anger regarding the town's truck route at a meeting of the public works committee last week.

The first part of the meeting was dedicated to a presentation by Ken O'Brien, a traffic management consultant the town and Municipality of Yarmouth hired to look at traffic patterns in the area and help develop plans for the future.

The presentation was similar to one O'Brien made last year, however this was the first time council sat as a group to view it. The presentation includes ideas such as one day linking Highway 101 with Highway 103, creating an off-ramp that would connect Highway 101 with the Hebron Industrial Park and creating a road that would lead from Highway 103 into town, eventually linking with Chestnut street so as to give a direct route from the highway to the hospital.

Mayor Charles Crosby said council would soon discuss the presentation and whether or not to move forward on the presentation's initial recommendations.

Following the presentation, debate once again centred on the town's truck route, a point of contention since just about the first day it was implemented. Of particular concern is Argyle and Herbert Streets. Residents on both streets have complained about being included on the truck route and some councillors, after first supporting the truck route, have since voiced concern about their decision.

Garnet Horton, a resident of Argyle Street, who last month presented council with a petition asking that Argyle Street not be included on the truck route, once again addressed council on the matter and concerns that the town isn't doing its part to ensure corners throughout the town allow clear paths of vision for drivers and pedestrians.

One possible solution to the problem, at least with respect to Argyle Street, came out of O'Brien's presentation.

It was his recommendation that Hueston Street, Argyle Street and Haley Road, because they link the highway to the port, be designated as part of the National Highways Program. With such a designation those streets would be eligible for federal money to bring the roads to a code and standard acceptable under the federal program.

However in order to apply for such a designation there must first be a designated truck route. That is why, said the mayor, the town must at least have something on paper.

"Now we can go and find out if we can get the money (from the federal government)," he said. "It might not work. If it doesn't work then we won't do it. But here's our chance to find out now if it will work and how much (money for the project) can we get."

If the town could get the money for the project to upgrade the road, said Crosby, he believes residents would feel better about having the trucks in their area.

Since being asked by council to revisit the truck route, the town's engineer, Dave Ernst, said his office is performing traffic counts on Argyle Street and Starrs Road to verify the impact of traffic. The count will differentiate between cars and trucks. As well, they are conducting a speed survey on Argyle Street and documenting the affect of the Brooklyn Street extension on Starrs Road.

During the same meeting councillor Wally Strickland gave notice of motion for the next council meeting that he would make a motion to have Argyle Street and Herbert Street deleted from the truck route. Such a move, as another councillor pointed out, would mean the truck route would have a gap between the Haley Road and Hueston Street.