Condo owners kept up at night by Bypass contractor noise; drivers forced to move

The Regina Bypass is on time and on budget, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have challenges. Some residents of an east Regina condo development are finding elements of the mega project are coming too close to home afterhours.

Dorothy Bagon lives in a condo complex in Regina’s east side. She and other residents began to notice heavy trucks parking in a vacant lot just before Christmas.

“There were probably three or four initially, and now that is full every night,” she said.

Fellow condo resident Lonny Regan said there are usually 20 trucks parked in the lot each night, just north of the intersection of Eastgate Drive and Neville Drive.

He said the trucks have been running their engines late into the night, creating excessive noise.

“I wake up quite a few times at night. My dad’s a disabled person as well, and he’s awake all hours of the night as well,” he said.

“Sometimes they leave at 4:30, 5 o’clock in the morning, so we hear that all over again when they’re pulling out and when they’re coming back in. They’re in and out all day,” Bagnon said.

Bagnon and other residents have contacted the city about their concerns.

“There was nothing they could do to help us because it was on private property. They weren’t prepared to do anything,” she said. “They said if it spilled over into the street rather than in the parking lot they could come ticket them.”

A city official told Global News that trucks are prohibited from loading and unloading in residential zones between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. As for noise concerns at night, they would need to contact the Regina Police who may issue a warning or ticket at their discretion.

Who owns the lot?

The vacant lot is owned by the Kawacatoose First Nation. The band office plans on using the lot for future business developments.

Band operations director Darin Poorman was unaware the lot was being used by trucks as a parking lot.

“Nobody has any permission to park or haul or put anything on said land there,” he said.

“We’re going to get a letter out to the main contractor, being the city, informing them about what’s going on on that land and that they didn’t get any consent.”

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Kawacatoose’s legal representation, William Warren, quickly contacted the City of Regina. He was told most of the truck drivers were staying at the nearby Hampton Inn & Suites.

Warren sent the hotel management an email informing them customers were trespassing. Hotel management told Warren they were under the impression the contractors had permission to park there. The contractors have been told to vacate the lot. Management told Warren they will no longer be parking there.

An official with the Regina Bypass said they are not able to monitor what contractors do when they are off the clock. However, they will be asking their subcontractors to ensure employees follow local bylaws when parking trucks, are mindful of residential noise, and do not park on private property without permission.