To the editor:
I am disappointed, but not surprised, by the small-mindedness of the both the City of Thunder Bay’s council and the population of the city itself.
What right do they think they have to restrict someone’s means of earning a living?
I am referring to the idea of restricting trucks from using Dawson Road/Highway 102. Do they not realize that Dawson Road is one of the oldest established roads here?
So first a little history:
The history of the Dawson Road began in 1857 when Henry Hind and Simon Dawson were commissioned to survey the territorial claims of the Hudson's Bay Company, as well as to survey a route between Lake Superior and the Red River.
A second set of surveys were carried out by Capt. John Palliser that same year.
The latter recommended avoiding the Kaministiquia River, but ultimately Hind and Dawson's route was chosen.
By 1868, the route was blazed between Shebandowan and what would soon be named Prince Arthur's Landing (later changed to Port Arthur). In 1870, the Wolseley Expedition set out from Toronto to end the Red River Rebellion.
When Colonel Garnet Wolseley arrived at the present site of Winnipeg, the rebels had fled. However, the expedition resulted in the construction of a road along Dawson's route. It was further improved in 1871.
In 1935, the Department of Northern Development (DND) began construction on a northern bypass of Port Arthur, mostly following the Dawson Road.
This road was designated Highway 17A on April 1, 1937, when the DND merged into the Department of Highways.
In 1959, Highway 120 was renumbered as Highway 11, and a 180-kilometre concurrency with Highway 17 between Shabaqua and Nipigon was created to join the discontinuous segments.
As the northern bypass of Port Arthur now formed an alternate route to both Highway 11 and 17, it was co-designated as Highway 11A and 17A.
Between January 1971 and 1972, Highway 11A and Highway 17A were re-designated as Highway 102. Work began shortly thereafter to realign several sections of the highway with dangerous curves and steep grades approaching the Kaministiquia River; the highway opened in 1975, featuring a new bridge over the river.
This road was designated as a bypass so that trucks would not have to travel through the then city of Port Arthur.
It was a great idea then and is still a great idea now.
I feel that people who oppose the truck traffic have no right to do so. If it weren’t for those trucks, most if not all goods delivered to and from Thunder Bay would not arrive to their intended destinations.
How small minded are these people when they use safety as an excuse, citing speeding and tailgating as reasons for removing these trucks from the highway.
As a rural resident, I have been tailgated by more passenger vehicles than ever by trucks.
As well, I have been passed by more passenger vehicles than trucks. These truckers are professional and sure there might be a few bad apples in the bunch, but think about it.
They have to be good or they wouldn’t be in business long. How many class ‘g’ drivers can make the claim to safe driving over millions of miles?
I have witnessed firsthand stupid people pulling out of their driveways right into oncoming truck traffic, expecting these trucks to slow down for them, when they can’t wait another 10 seconds for this truck to go by before pulling out.
How many of these passenger vehicles tailgate big trucks, just waiting for the chance to pass them because they are in such a hurry to get home or to work or to the hockey rink or some other place, or just because they like speeding?
It’s OK to stop these trucks from travelling the road designed and built for them but is it OK to redirect this traffic to other highly populated areas increasing the potential danger of accidents in areas like the Expressway which has stop light intersections and Kakabeka Falls, where the speed limit is reduced to 60 km/h?
If city council is going to address this matter in the near future, wouldn’t it be fair to give the truckers a say in whether or not their road or highway should be denied them?
After all, they pay considerably more road tax than any other travellers on the roads.
Phyllis Garton,