Big trucks will cause a traffic jam on the roads of Pitt Meadows in the event of a CP Rail strike this Saturday, predicts a local businessman.
Dan Kosicki, manager of Meadows Landscaping Supply, is urging Pitt Meadows city hall to be proactive, before there is a long lineup of trucks leading from the container yard to the Lougheed Highway, taking up an entire lane of Kennedy Road.
That’s what happened during the CP strike in 2012, he said.
Union members picketed outside the Canadian Pacific Railway Vancouver Intermodal facility, which is located off Kennedy Road. Kosicki said most people are unaware how much truck traffic that facility generates.
“They’re like bees going back to the hive,” he said.
During job action, the picket line dramatically slows the trucks, causing gridlock right back to the highway.
“None of my customers can get in – they’re stuck in traffic,” he lamented. “It’s a peak time of year for me – happy homeowners wanting to pick up bark mulch and soil.”
He said the other businesses in the area will also be affected, and the road would become virtually impassable for area residents.
Because Kennedy Rd. is so narrow, he said anyone who tried passing the long line of trucks on the left last time was taking a huge safety risk, and any drivers trying to turn left out of his business could not see oncoming traffic.
“Everybody in authority were useless,” he said, noting he petitioned both city hall and the RCMP for help, but the trucks still turned Kennedy Road into a parking lot, and his business took “an immense hit.”
Kosicki was at the Tuesday council meeting, warning city hall about the possible coming strike.
“There is going to be a tidal wave of trucks coming, and they need to have a plan,” he said.
Mayor John Becker agreed with Kosicki’s assessment of the situation, and said the city is making plans. He received a heads up about the situation after the rail worker unions served strike notice earlier this week.
“This needs to be on our radar, if this [negotiation] doesn’t get settled,” said Becker, adding he has been in touch with CP’s government affairs staff. “We cannot have a repeat of last time.”
“It’s a safety issue, and it chokes off our businesses down there,” he said. “It was a complete debacle last time.”
In addition to the landscaping supply business, there is an Esso station and Single Source rentals.
Becker said there may be an opportunity for the waiting trucks to stage on CP property. The company owns 60 hectares in the area.
The city may fine any vehicle blocking a road.
“They are not allowed to block the roadway – period, full-stop,” said Becker.
CP Rail offered a one-line response to the questions about the potential traffic jam.
“We are aware of the city’s concern and will monitor the situation as circumstance dictates,” said CP media relations advisor Mallory McCredie.
