Residents of a small community in southeastern B.C. say they are fed up with truck crashes that keep happening in their community.
The Hamlet of Yahk sits along Highway 3 between Cranbrook and southern B.C.
It is a popular truck route, and residents told Global News there have been five semi-truck crashes in and around the small community in only two months.
There is a tight corner and bridge on the edge of town, where the suggested speed limit is 30 km/h.
Residents say it appears drivers are not paying attention – they end up going too fast and crash.
“We’ve noticed the volume of traffic is getting bigger and bigger as the years go by, but we’ve noticed the speed,” resident Carol Burk told Global News. “People are really reckless when driving through many small communities in B.C.”
She said the corner is called the Yahk Car Wash among residents in the town.
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“Luckily no one has been injured,” she added.
“We have two school buses that travel up this road on a daily basis,” Burk said. “We have ambulance transfers, if this road is blocked, if there’s a death, that’s a situation in itself.”
In a statement, the Ministry of Transportation said it had posed digital message signs to warn drivers about the sharp curve at this location.
“Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement (CVSE) staff have been monitoring the area and will continue to focus on speed. The ministry will continue to support the RCMP in any of their enforcement initiatives along this corridor,” it said.
“The ministry is reviewing other possible safety improvements, including permanent digital messaging signage.”
Residents said they would like the province to install rumble strips or other measures to alert drivers to the upcoming danger.
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