Traffic roundabout in Shediac still confusing drivers
The new roundabout is meant to help with the traffic flow around Shediac, but it's causing some confusion among drivers.
"We have drivers from Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, so the ones who have not done that route before find it really hard the first time," said Lynn Plewes, a dispatcher with trucking company Dango Inc.
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"A few of them have gotten confused and gotten on the wrong road."
Drivers with Dango, based in Cormier Village about 20 kilometres east of Shediac, drive through the new roundabout about once a week on their way to northern New Brunswick with truckloads of frozen foods such as lobster or blueberries.
Confusing and a bit tight
Plewes said not only can the new traffic circle be confusing, but drivers find it difficult to physically navigate with their 18-wheeler tractor trailers.
"Most of the time it's very hard to do the whole roundabout thing without their having their back wheels on the edge," said Plewes. "It's really hard to get fully onto the road."
Avoiding the roundabout isn't an option for a company trying to be efficient about its mileage. And Plewes said she can't even find a map of the roundabout to print for her new drivers to refer to before they head out for the first time.
"It would be nice to have some kind of a map on the internet that we could use as a guide," she said. "I've done it quite a few times but it's still very confusing."
More signs needed
The executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association said that while the province would have ensured the roundabout complies with all standard measurements, the Department of Transportation didn't consult the association before construction began.
"I would have preferred the province would have let us know when they were building this one," said Jean Marc Picard, adding that they were consulted on other roundabouts in the province, especially the one in Fredericton.
Picard said that while the Shediac roundabout is only one lane, which makes it a little easier to use, he'd like to see more signage for drivers.
"The more signage the better. It's like a little bridge where trucks can't fit through," he said.
"If you only have a small little sign, most likely someone is going to hit that bridge and rip off a trailer. It's the same type of idea here. The more signage the better for speed and vehicles going through it."
He said it would be more convenient if there wasn't a mound in the centre of the roundabout.
"If you could see across and what is oncoming, especially if there is an over-dimensional truck that needs to get through there, that would be my concern," he said.
