Continued usage of roadway banned to the public raises safety concerns

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

Fearing that an accident was just around the corner, speed bumps and signs have been installed on a roadway that runs behind the Atlantic Superstore on the business’s property.

But the extra measures still haven’t stopped motorists from racing through the roadway and using it as a shortcut, despite the fact it’s not meant for the public to use.

The roadway is meant for trucks delivering goods to the Superstore and the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation. But when it was first installed there were never any signs posted indicating that it is solely a truck route.

So instead the roadway has been used as a shortcut by people looking to bypass the parking lot. And its usage has increased significantly since the town opened Brooklyn Street. But people aren’t just driving through. They’re speeding through.

“It’s very fortunate that there hasn’t been an accident yet,” says Stan Churchill of Churchill Properties.

Churchill’s company is contracted by Loblaws, the owner of Superstore, to take care of all of the outside services on the store’s property. Churchill says he and the company have been increasingly concerned over the amount of traffic using the road. Churchill says there have been several near misses because of it.

“You come around here in the morning and there can be 15 trucks all lined up and waiting to back in, and people race through and weave around the trucks. People just wouldn’t slow down,” Churchill says. “One (delivery driver) was outside his truck. Two cars came racing past and they both sped by on either side of him.”

A decision was made to install speed bumps and signs reading: Delivery truck only, no throughway at both entrances to the roadway.

So problem solved, right?

Actually no.

“People are reading the signs and they’re still driving through,” says Churchill. “It boggles my mind.”

In a five-minute period while this reporter was on the scene, 13 vehicles drove through. One hesitated when the driver saw the signs, but drove through anyway. And aside from using a roadway that’s off limits to the public, vehicles have also been driving on the lawn south of Superstore, causing significant damage. Churchill estimates it will cost $3,000 to fix the latest deep tire ruts.

“Now they’re talking about having to curb this whole area,” Churchill says, adding its frustrating for the owners of the Superstore who have been trying to enhance the look of the property and have even been contemplating making it more park like.

But the biggest concern is the safety. Churchill hopes people will obey the signs and not use the roadway.

“The truck drivers were thankful that we are doing this because they were scared to get out of their trucks,” Churchill says. “And the last thing we want to do is gate it.”

Aside from this roadway there are also concerns about how fast people drive through the parking lot on their way to and from Superstore, Wal-Mart and Staples. Speed bumps have been installed to slow people down but people still don’t get the hint. Churchill points out it’s not a street, it’s a parking lot.