Fredericton moves forward with pilot project to ease drive-thru congestion
Fredericton city council is moving forward with a pilot project to ease traffic at the Tim Hortons drive-thru that spills onto Wallace Avenue, and sometimes even onto Main Street.
On Tuesday night, city council voted for staff to draft a bylaw that would restrict left turns going into the Tim Hortons from Wallace Avenue. If approved, the city would then create a turnaround area at the end of the road, to give more room to lineup and enter the fast food chain.
"Main Street is one of the busiest streets that we have in the city, so it's more of a safety issue than anything else," said Bruce Grandy, city councillor for the area.
"As you queue up more and more, and you block traffic coming down Main Street, people get upset."
Delayed decision
Coun. Kevin Darrah, chair of the city's transportation committee, said it's important for the city to help businesses dealing with the traffic jam. The city has heard complaints from the neighbouring Home Hardware.
"We have to help business succeed in the city. We have to be business friendly in the city, and Main Street is in the process of growing and we need to make sure we get it right this time," said Councillor Kevin Darrah.
The city had delayed the decision at its meeting on Sept. 23, when staff told council changes the city made in the area contributed to the problem.
The city built Wallace Avenue in the early 2000's, which leads to the area where the city puts cleared snow. Then, the Tim Hortons changed its drive through entrance to Wallace Avenue.
"The drive-thrus didn't affect any traffic years ago, but now they are, unfortunately," Coun. Grandy said, "And that's just because of the growth of the city, and that's going to happen in any city that's growing like this,"
That bylaw could go before council for first and second reading as soon as its next meeting on Oct. 28, and for final approval at the following meeting.
If the bylaw is approved and a turnaround is built at the end of Wallece Avenue, it would cost the city $40,000. Construction would start in the spring.
