Some drivers in Beaconsfield are tired of waiting.
Some said, at times, they can be stuck at traffic lights at the intersection of Elm and Woodland avenues for up to 15 minutes.
The intersection is located near the Beaurepaire train station, near the Beaconsfield Dog Park and Highway 20.
The issue is that the intersection is also a railway crossing.
Commuter AMT, Via Rail, CP and CN freight trains pass almost every couple of minutes, sometimes at the same time.
“You have to be patient,” said Beaconsfield resident, Gary Grant. “Sometimes you get two freight trains in a row and sometimes you get really lucky and get three.”
The problem is mainly that the traffic lights turn to red long before any sign of a train.
It also takes a while for the lights to turn green again, after the train departs.
“There’s sometimes a little bit of difficulty to find the logic in how the lights go,” said local resident, Francois Duquette. “Sometimes you have to wait a very, very long time.”
Beaconsfield mayor, Georges Bourelle, said he drives through the intersection daily and has also gotten stuck waiting.
He believes the intersection should have perhaps been built differently.
“When the highway was built, it probably would have been the time to have an overpass here like we have at St-Charles,” he said. “For whatever reason, at that particular time, it was decided not to do it. Today we have to live with it.”
However, there is some good news for drivers — the city will be making adjustments.
Bourelle said this summer, the city will change the timing of the traffic lights so that they change 20 seconds before the trains arrive and 20 seconds after they depart.
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