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‘Somebody’s going to get squashed’ Residents are fed up with ‘ratrunners’ and what they say is a lack of policing and traffic enforcement
Traffic troubles: New West resident Sandra Jaser stands at the intersection of First Street and Royal Avenue near her home while a car makes an illegal left turn behind her. Jaser and her neighbours are worried drivers using their street as a rush-hour shortcut to the Pattullo Bridge will end up hurting someone.
BY CORNELIA NAYLOR REPORTER editorial@royalcityrecord.com
Frustration continues to mount among New Westminster residents living near the intersection of First Street and Royal Avenue who say city hall and police have done nothing about “ratrunners” clogging up their street and creating safety hazards Sandra Jaser, who lives about 20 metres from the intersection, told The Record she’d had enough recently after a large truck tailgated her through the 30 km/h stretch of First Street from Sixth Avenue to Royal. “I could not see his bumper, he was that close,” she said. When she slowed to turn into her driveway, the driver slammed on his brakes so hard she said she could hear his load shift in the back. As he sped past after she turned, Jaser said he yelled a string of obscenities at her for good measure. His goal, like that of so many others who speed down her narrow street, was an illegal left turn onto Royal that would allow him to cut the rush-hour Pattullo Bridge lineup on McBride Boulevard. There is a sign at the intersection prohibiting left turns onto Royal between 3 and 6 p.m. on weekdays, but busy rush hours sometimes see Jaser and her husband trapped in their driveway by commuters lined up to make the illegal turn. But that’s nothing compared to the danger some of the vehicles present, Jaser said. She said she recently saw a truck swerve and jump the curb to avoid a young girl who was crossing the street to visit her. The truck jumped right back onto the street and still managed to hit the illegal turn on a yellow light, she said. Such incidents have become the new normal for residents since the Pattullo became the free alternative to the tolled Port Mann Bridge two years ago, Jaser said.
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She and her neighbours have gone to to take that one out, maybe it would go city council with their grievances; they’ve to Second Street, but then the people written letters, and all owners in the 100 on Second Street would be calling me with the same concerns – why block (about 25 in all) signed Second, not First?” a petition two years ago callFirst Street has a steeper ing on the city to take out the than eight per cent grade, so traffic light, block First Street “There’s a big speed humps are out of the access to Royal or put up speed park here, lots of question, but even if grade bumps. weren’t an issue, the street “We wanted the traffic dealt little kids comis a community-shuttle tranwith,” Jaser said. ing and going sit route, Emanuels said, and But little has been done. transit can’t accommodate The problem, according to all the time. the kind of aggressive speed New West city manager of design and construction Roger Someone’s going bumps that would deter ratEmanuels, is that First Street is to get squashed.” runners. Emanuels also said the city a key access point for people in has to be careful about making the Queen’s Park neighbourdrastic changes to deal with a hood and for students from SANDRA JASER resident few hours of rush-hour chaos that area who will soon be that end up limiting moveattending a new school south ment around the city for the of Royal. “Between Sixth and McBride, you rest of the day. The problems at First and Royal are need something to cross Royal there,” Emanuels told The Record. “If we were ultimately a matter for enforcement, he
said. Police, however, haven’t carried out enforcement at the intersection since April, when 35 violation tickets were issued, many for illegal left turns. Staff-Sgt. Paul Hyland told The Record the force’s current priority in terms of traffic enforcement is high-collision locations. “That being said,” he wrote in an email, “The NWPD are aware of concerns raised about the area of First Street and Royal Avenue, and enforcement initiatives have been conducted by both our traffic unit and patrol-based members as time and resources permit.” Jaser, however, said neither the police nor the city are doing enough, and she’s worried about what the future may hold for her neighbourhood. “There’s a big park here, lots of little kids coming and going all the time,” she said. “Someone’s going to get squashed.” Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter, @CorNaylor
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