New super drive-thru on Blackmarsh Road won't affect traffic, says Tom Hann
A city councillor says a new Tim Hortons and gas bar planned for the west end of St. John's should not create traffic problems.
The new development would go up on Blackmarsh Road, directly across from a Dominion supermarket and a few hundred feet from the Columbus Drive intersection.
Despite the concerns of some residents, Coun. Tom Hann says traffic impact studies have concluded the new Tim Hortons shouldn't interfere with the free flow of vehicles.
"The experts are telling us that it will have very little impact, if any, on traffic on Blackmarsh Road," he told CBC News.
"There were two studies done. The experts are telling us that if the site is configured as it is right now, then the traffic flow should not be impacted."
According to Hann, the two-lane drive-thru will be 50 per cent larger than any other in the city, and will be able to handle up to 32 vehicles at a time.
The city has been looking at a commercial development on the piece of land for three years. The area was rezoned in 2012 to facilitate plans for a coffee shop, gas bar and another business such as a bank, said Hann.
The city later expanded the area to accommodate their plans for the larger drive-thru.
Questions from worried residents
Hann said during the course of the impact study and public consultations, they did hear some concerns.
"One gentleman was concerned about tankers having to deliver fuel," he said.
"Another lady was worried about water runoff, and the other issues were the traffic."
He said the city's water runoff policy, strict hours for oil tanker movement in the area, and plans for the extra large drive-thru area takes care of those issues.
Hann also added that having a big drive-thru in the area will alleviate some of the traffic congestion problems at other nearby Tim Hortons locations, such as the one on Ropewalk Lane.
