Few people need to see the vehicle to recognize the distinctive blat-blat-blat staccato sound of engine retarder brake, also known as jake brakes, being used on heavy duty trucks.
The growling noise is most definitely not music to the ears of people who live along Highway 60 in Devon, about 20 km southwest of Edmonton.
Devon resident Doug Martel used to be trucker and knows the sound well.
“It can be terribly loud, particularly if there’s a northwest wind coming in to this general area,” Martel said.
“It’ll actually just shatter your ears — sometimes it’s that bad.”
His nearby neighbours Douglas Southam and Donna Mendelsohn have similar concerns.
“With our windows open at night to cool things off and get some fresh air in, it can wake us up,” Southam said.
“There are known health impacts from this kind of racket going on,” Mendelsohn added.
Highway 60 is one of the main routes to circumnavigate Edmonton, and truckers looking to avoid Anthony Henday Drive often use it. Each day, about 17,000 vehicles traverse the highway through Devon, according to the town.
Highway 60 intersects with Highway 19, which passes by Edmonton International Airport and the Nisku industrial area.
Trucker traffic has always been steady on the route, even when the Henday opened, and Martel and the town said it’s actually increasing.
“Basically the trucking industry, particularly for the oil industry, uses Highway 60 as the Edmonton bypass,” he said. “When they’re going north or going west, they use this as a quick way of getting around Edmonton.”
Compounding the issue: two sets of traffic lights, about 850 metres apart, that were added at two of the main intersections into Devon a little over a decade ago.
Truckers that previously would have passed almost silently through town are now having to slow down for red lights — and many use their retarder or jake brakes to make that happen.
“Some of them are so loud that it just startles you,” Mendelsohn said.
Engine retarder brakes are used in many heavy trucks to supplement the vehicle’s wheel brakes.
According to an Alberta Transportation explainer, the engine retarder brakes changes the action of the exhaust valves, turning the engine into an air compressor: converting the power-producing diesel engine into a power-absorbing retarding mechanism, which produces the machine gun or jackhammer-esque sound.
The retarder brakes help big rigs come to a stop quicker, reduce wear on the wheel brakes so they’re ready in the event of an emergency, according to Alberta Transportation.
Disturbing the residents of Devon is one thing — but one of the highway intersections is a stone’s throw away from the Devon General Hospital.
The hospital’s palliative care wing looks right onto Highway 60. People on death’s door, and their distraught loved ones, are being disturbed by the noise all day and night, Martel said.
“The windows will rattle at times, in some cases where the truckers have actually removed the baffles out of their exhaust systems to even make it louder,” Martel said.
Mayor Jeff Craddock said that is the Town of Devon’s biggest concern.
“The fact that they come right up and over a hill to a stop light right by the hospital,” Craddock said. “It’s really disruptive to people that are on their last days.
“My heart goes to the hospital and to palliative care.”
Doug Martel said he’s brought his concerns to the town. While the use of engine retarder brakes is prohibited on town streets, the highway is the jurisdiction of Alberta Transportation and there is no such ban on that stretch of road.
There is a sign at the entrance of town asking for drivers to avoid using their engine retarder brakes.
“It’s useless. They ignore it,” said Mendelsohn — at the very moment the distinct brake noise punctured the air. “There it is,” Martel quipped.
“We’re frustrated and we’re fed up.”
The residents want the province to beef up enforcement — not just asking, but ordering truckers to not use their engine retarder brakes through Devon.
“If somebody wants to exceed that and still use their jake brakes, they could be liable for fines. And in the trucking industry, word gets around pretty quick,” Martel said.
Southam, Mendelsohn and Martel said the province has put in place restrictions in other nearby communities such as Leduc.
Craddock said the town has been talking to the province for years about the issue and there is understanding and support when it comes to the noise pollution, especially by the hospital — but also legal concerns.
Engine retarder brakes increase safety in both normal and difficult weather and road conditions, including ice, snow and wet or gravel road surfaces, according to the province.
It’s another tool to help big rigs stop fast and Craddock said the province has safety concerns about banning the use of jake brakes.
“Very clearly for them it’s a liability issue,” Craddock said of the province’s stance. “To them it’s absolutely important.”
Highway 60 is 80 km/h entering the south end of Devon, and lowers to 70 km/h for a two-kilometre stretch through town before the highway speed increases again going down into the North Saskatchewan River valley.
Craddock said the town has heard from professional truckers who’ve said slowing for the red light with regular brakes alone shouldn’t be an issue, especially since that stretch of highway already has a lower speed limit.
“Now we’ve got two sides and that’s where we don’t agree,” Craddock said. While changing the brake rules would be the easiest move, he doesn’t expect the province will budge.
“(The province has) been really clear on the liability issue and no one is going to take that on willingly. So we may have to address it from a different area, which would be reduced speed.”
The town is going to continue to push the province to make changes, Craddock said, including getting the Highway 60 speed limit lowered — and in the meantime do what is in their power, such as adding a quiet zone on town roads around the hospital.
“For the residents that live in that area that are bothered by the jake brakes, my heart goes out to them and I really appreciate their patience.”
Martel said he’s been pushing the issue for years and isn’t getting a straight answer from the province.
“It’s terribly frustrating because dealing with the government, which I do almost on a daily basis, all I get from them is smoke and mirrors. They’re citing a safety issue. Once again, they won’t answer the question as to why it’s unsafe here and other jurisdictions that sign is fine,” he said of restrictions elsewhere.
Global News reached out to the province and on Tuesday, received the following statement from Alberta Transportation:
“Engine retarder brakes are used in many heavy trucks to supplement the vehicle’s service brakes, which provide increased driving safety and more efficient braking performance. There is no provincial legislation that regulates the use of engine retarder brakes along provincial highways or the noise emitted from them. Due to safety implications, we cannot ban their use on rural highways.
However, Transportation and Economic Corridors does regulate excessive noise due to vehicles through the Traffic Safety Act (TSA) and various regulations. Section 115 of the TSA prohibits reckless driving behaviours which distract or interfere with other road users. Additionally, Alberta’s Use of Highway and Rules of the Road Regulation prohibits vehicles from emitting any excessive noise between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Both of these regulations can result in fines from local law enforcement agencies.
The Town of Devon could also explore the possibility of noise reduction infrastructure such as a noise barrier wall or large trees to reduce noise from vehicles on Highway 60.”
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