Increased traffic through residential streets Larsen Lane and Parkin Street is worrying residents. (Pierre Fournier/CBC)
Residents of a quiet Salisbury neighborhood are having to limit their children’s outdoor play due to a dramatic increase in traffic as drivers use their road as an unofficial detour.
A section of nearby Route 106 was washed away weeks ago and the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure closed the road on January 3. A detour directs traffic to Homestead Road via Upper Mountain Road.
But experienced local drivers know that the official diversion is longer than a more direct route through the nearby residential roads of Larsen Lane and Parkin Street.
Residents of these roads say they are living in an accident waiting to happen.
Dave-Alan Gutro, who lives on Larsen Lane, said he had a close call while checking his mail one evening at the community mailbox along the road.
This is when a driver makes a sharp left off Route 106.
“He saw me at the last minute, swerved, showed his disapproval that I was on the side of the road — and then passed the radar sign that said 30 on 71,” Goutro said.
“It was probably about a foot away before it hit me.”
WATCH | Resident says too many close calls due to diverted traffic:
Residents say diverting traffic through the residential street is dangerous
Traffic diverted from Salisbury’s high street is a headache in a neighborhood that is normally quiet.
Gautreau said it was one of many close calls residents have had. A neighborhood dog was hit by a vehicle last week but survived.
Goutreau, who has lived in the area for five years, decided to write an open letter to Geoff Carr, the transport and infrastructure minister, asking for changes to avoid further incidents. He hoped they could install bumps, though he was told they would interfere with snow removal, and instead wants an increased RCMP presence in hopes of deterring speeding drivers.
“It’s a quiet street,” he said. “It’s full of kids running around, walking dogs. The problem is that the people who walk these streets are not used to it and the people who live on these streets are not used to it … there is so much volume that we are not used to it.”
Signs direct drivers to detour onto Upper Mountain Road from Route 106, which directs them to Homestead Road. Some drivers seem to ignore the signs. (Pierre Fournier/CBC)
The city added more warning signs
The City of Salisbury emphasizes that Larsen Lane and Parkin Street are in no way an official detour. The design of the neighborhood—essentially a semicircle shape on either side of the washed-out road—means drivers cross anyway.
To address residents’ concerns, the town has installed signs indicating children playing, posted additional speed limit signs and communicated with Codiac RCMP about speeding drivers.
Work continues to erect a temporary bridge over a portion of Route 106 that was washed away earlier this winter. (Pierre Fournier/CBC)
“We’re trying to remind people that there is an official variance,” said Austin Henderson, Salisbury’s chief administrative officer. “It’s just that it’s a bit further out than people like, unfortunately. In a real small town, people know there’s a residential area there.”
In a statement to CBC News, the Department of Transport and Infrastructure said the temporary one-way bridge is on schedule to open this weekend, weather permitting.
“The DTI has not published any alternative detour routes in the area and urges motorists to use only the official detour route,” the statement said.
City staff looks forward to meeting with district engineers to discuss a more proactive approach going forward. A section of the road collapsed early last year and temporary repairs were then made.
“Many would say we could plan for this if it was fixed for good, but that was not the situation we dealt with,” Henderson said.
“We are concerned, but we are dealing with the concerns as best we can.”
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