Regina resident Barry McGillis has been counting the heavy truck traffic on Dewdney Avenue since the middle of May.
Since he started counting, he said he sees anywhere from 10 to 20 heavy trucks between Lewvan Drive and Courtney Street on a daily basis.
“I just believe they’re using this as a shortcut,” McGillis said.
It’s a shortcut that may be illegal, depending on the route and the goods the trucks are carrying.
Last April, the city restricted heavy truck traffic on Dewdney Avenue. According to McGillis, the bylaw hasn’t worked.
“I believe we have heavy trucks, 18 wheels or more, using Dewdney Avenue on a consistent daily basis,” he said.
However, the city said the “No Heavy Trucks” ban doesn’t apply to all trucks. According to Norman Kyle, the director of roadways and transportation for the City of Regina, certain trucks are exempted.
Drivers doing pickups and deliveries are allowed to take that route. That exemption also applies to construction trucks.
“We’ve gotten complaints from people too. A lot of the ones we’ve looked into, they’re using it as pickup delivery routes for their shortest destination,” Kyle explained.
The city said they can’t enforce any traffic infractions because it would fall under Regina police. They advise any violations to be directed to the police.
Regina police said they are aware of the complaints. This month, they’ll be working with SGI to zero-in on commercial vehicle safety.
As for fines, any truckers caught driving off a pickup and delivery route may face a fine of $180. That same amount applies to anyone driving off a heavy vehicle route.
The city said they are currently conducting a traffic review of that stretch of area. Numbers are expected to be tallied within the next month or so.
“They will compare historical traffic counts from before the changes, to the ones we take this summer,” Kyle said.
The city also wants to remind residents the changes were made to reduce truck traffic, but it simply cannot ban all trucks on any road.
“We can’t ban trucks on any road because we still have to allow businesses to do pickup and deliveries,” Kyle said.
What we hope is this less of truck impact on that section of road.
McGillis said he’s hoping there will be more enforcement, and stricter measures to tackle the issue.
Until then, he said he will continue counting the number of heavy trucks that go by.
“I want it to stop,” he said.
“Simply the fact that they’re breaking the law, or in my opinion, they’re breaking the bylaw.”