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Residents of tiny B.C. hamlet fed up after multiple semi-truck crashes

Click to play video: 'Yahk, B.C. residents demand solutions to slow highway traffic'
Yahk, B.C. residents demand solutions to slow highway traffic
WATCH: Beset by five crashes in just the past two months, residents of the hamlet of Yahk in southeastern B.C. say they're fed up with people speeding through their community. Aaron McArthur reports – Mar 9, 2023

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.

Click to play video: 'Semi leaves highway, crashes into Sorrento, B.C. house'
Semi leaves highway, crashes into Sorrento, B.C. house

“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.”

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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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