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Bypass route a matter of safety
Big commercial trucks and regular passenger vehicles do not mix in a community the size of High Prairie.
It is alarming to see the number of large commercial trucks going through town each day. These include B-trains, trucks involved with the oil and gas industry, agricultural trucks and farm implements.
In addition, there’s no bypass road for the commercial trucks to use so they can avoid coming into High Prairie.
But the issue is literally much bigger than this. It’s also about those trucks parking along the curbs in front of Freson IGA and the Horizon Credit Union. They cause dangerous blind spots for vehicles pulling out onto the main street.
One can sympathize with the business owners and operators who say a lot of their business comes from truckers who park along that stretch of road.
However, the overriding concern is traffic safety, especially in relation to passenger vehicles. Commercial trucks should be banned from parking anywhere along the main street. Only commercial and municipal vehicles that operate locally should be allowed to travel through High Prairie.
Town of High Prairie CAO Larry Baran says he is concerned about truckers taking their business to Slave Lake. He would like to see a commercial truck stop in High Prairie.
Perhaps a commercial truck stop should be built here, but it should be built outside the town limits and along a bypass route that the provincial government should pay for.
A plebiscite was held during the October 1998 municipal election. The text of that plebiscite read, “Should council pass a bylaw to prohibit parking on Primary Highway 2, within the Town of High Prairie.”
The vote was 415-328 in favour. Overall, 56 per cent of voters favoured the ban.
The plebiscite results were not binding on council. The matter was not pursued further.
Nonetheless, Mayor Diana Oliver at the time said a strong vote in favour of a parking ban would certainly mean the Town of High Prairie would have to look at it.
This does not mean the issue is any less relevant in 2007. High Prairie residents, as well as candidates for the upcoming town council and M.D. of Big Lakes council elections, should keep debating this issue. Another plebiscite should be held as well. In addition, consideration should be given to options such as establishing a commercial truck stop and/or a bypass route.
Finally, if there is an economic impact in banning commercial traffic from travelling through High Prairie, then businesses, town council, the M.D. and the provincial government should devise strategies to attract more businesses and tourists to the community.
If the predictions are right that a lot more residential development will take place in High Prairie in the coming years, then the additional population should at least partially offset any losses that businesses suffer. It’s time to revisit the issue of commercial trucks travelling through and parking in High Prairie.
Regional
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