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Letter to the editor: Designated truck route plan

To the editor: I challenge all council members to jump in the passenger’s seat of an 18, 22, or 24 wheeler before you make your final decision to reroute heavy truck traffic off of Dawson Road to the Thunder Bay “expressway” and wes
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Letters to the editor - with text

To the editor:

I challenge all council members to jump in the passenger’s seat of an 18-, 22-, or 24-wheeler before you make your final decision to reroute heavy truck traffic off of Dawson Road to the Thunder Bay Expressway.

By reducing one hazard you are creating a second hazard with unfortunately fatal conquests.

With an additional 500 to 750 transport trucks headed west on the Expressway each day each truck will now encounter three extra sets of traffic lights.

According to Ontario Roads magazine it takes an eighteen wheeler that weighs 80,000 pounds approximately 120 feet of travel before the driver will react to a yellow, followed by red light and an additional 390 feet to stop once the brakes are applied at 90 kilometres an hour in perfect road conditions.

Transport trucks can weigh up to 125,000 pounds when equipped with a five axle trailer full loaded. With an additional 750 trucks added to the stretch of the Expressway that is an extra truck every 1.92 minutes on a 24-hour time frame – if the trucks were spaced out.

But as we know most trucks will be traveling in the hours from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. at night with the math now indicating an extra truck every one and a half minutes on this route.

The distance from the Red River Road intersection and Thunder Bay Expressway turning west onto Red River Road and traveling up Dawson Road to the intersection of Highway 11/17 and Dawson Road is 32 kilometres.

The distance from Red River Road traveling south to the intersection of the Harbour Expressway extension and heading west through Kakabeka, Ontario to Sistones Corners is 48 kilometres.

Add in the additional three sets of traffic lights at Red River Road, John Street and Oliver Road intersections and you have just created very dangerous hazards.

For 30 years I worked inside a pulp and paper mill and I retired in April 2017.

The last two summers I have drove part-time in the summer months a dump truck, concrete truck and car hauler and I know the intersection at Oliver Road and the Expressway heading west is a very dangerous intersection.

I have never had so much respect for the drivers of these vehicles who drive 13-hour days, six days a week.

Now you want to add an extra 30 minutes to the truck driver’s day. You are also adding extra carbon monoxide emissions and brake pad dust to the environment.

If council votes again in February with the same result of a designated truck route, a flashing yellow light will have to be installed at all three intersection of Red River Road, John Street and Oliver Road indicating that when flashing that the traffic lights are about to change to yellow followed by red.

This would be the same as the yellow flashing light in the westbound lane at the Balsam Street and Thunder Bay Expressway.

Traffic lights will also have to be installed at the intersections of Highway 11/17 and Mapleward Road, Highway 130, Vibert Road, Highway 580 and in Kakabeka.

Can you imagine trying to make a left turn from a south-side business in Kakabeka?

This would almost be impossible in the summer months.

Another safety concern to consider is the school buses on Highway 11/17.

There are a great deal more schools in the Oliver-Paipoonge area than in Lappe.

With a transport truck approaching from the east from Highway 11/17 and turning east up Dawson Road that the City of Thunder Bay has no control of what happens when the truck approaches Dog Lake Road the beginning of the City of Thunder Bay.

I would not expect the driver to try to turn the 18-wheeler around and head back to Sistonens Corner. How are you going to police this? Probably the same as the two-minute idle bylaw.

Dog Lake Road has two gravel pits and a concrete plant.

Are these trucks carrying sand, gravel and concrete expected to travel down Dog Lake Road to Dawson Road, make a right and head west to Sistonens Corner, then east back to Thunder Bay to make a delivery on Red River Road. Ridicules question I know, but so is your designated truck route.

In closing, I challenge each and every council member to take a ride in a big rig before your next vote but please bring a change of underwear because you just might need one.

Rick Baraniuk,
Thunder Bay

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