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OPP noticing more motorists stopping on Expressway acceleration lanes

THUNDER BAY -- The OPP is reminding motorists how to use acceleration lanes on the Thunder Bay Expressway.
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OPP Staff Sgt. Ken Mantey (Jodi Lundmark, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY -- The OPP is reminding motorists how to use acceleration lanes on the Thunder Bay Expressway.

“We’re noticing a lot of people stopping in the acceleration lane and waiting for traffic to clear so they can go again,” said traffic Staff Sgt. Ken Mantey.

“That is not correct. The acceleration lane is for accelerating and moving into traffic when it is safe to do so.”

There are ramps and acceleration lanes at every section along the Expressway from Hodder Avenue on Highway 11/17 to Chippewa Road on Highway 61.

And while drivers are required to accelerate in order to merge onto the Expressway, there is also an obligation on drivers in the through lane to either change lanes when they see a vehicle in the acceleration lane or make the space for them to merge.

Mantey said collisions are a concern, especially during heavy traffic and now with wintertime conditions.

“It is on the driver to know the rules of the road and the type of highways you’re driving on,” he said.





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