More than three weeks after local traffic on Canada’s East Coast was allowed to flow through the region as a result of the Atlantic bubble, inconsistencies are still bothersome to many who enter New Brunswick through the Aulac/Trans-Canada Highway entry.
“Going into New Brunswick is so inconsistent,” says Collene Cotton, a small business owner in Amherst, N.S.
“You’re never going to get the same experience twice. (Sunday) night when I went through, it was 20 minutes waiting in the lineup just to be waved through… And it was ridiculous.”
On Monday, Francine McLaughlin made her first trip returning to New Brunswick since the bubble opened. Still, she knew she had to be prepared to wait.
“I knew there was going to be a lineup,” she tells Global News. “I mean, that’s the new life.”
When the lineup of traffic becomes too long, motorists can get waved through, a New Brunswick government spokesperson says.
“In instances whereas traffic is heavy, long wait times occur, causing highway safety concerns,” said Coreen Enos, a spokesperson of the Department of Public Safety.
“In these instances, Peace Officers will relax controls as necessary to maintain public safety, and restart after a few minutes.”
Enos says department officials have met with municipal officials from Sackville, N.B., and Amherst, N.S., who’ve previously voiced concerns about delays and inconsistencies.
The province has also completed “a review of traffic flow issues that will lead to enhancements in wait time,” although “some of these are still in the draft form.”
Enos also encourages people to fill out the pre-travel registration form online to help speed things up.
John Wishart of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton says that while the bubble hasn’t provided the boost for hotels they were expecting, it’s helped local retailers and some tourist attractions.
“I think for the Greater Moncton area, there’s certainly been some positives,” Wishart says. “In the retail sector, some of the sort of magnet retailers like Costco and Bass Pro and Champlain Place have benefited. Maybe some of the smaller retailers as well. Some tourism facilities like Magic Mountain and Parlee Beach have also done well.”
But Wishart says it would be beneficial for everyone if there was more of a clear understanding and procedure at the border.
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