The proposed relocation of the public works maintenance yard to South Canoe is wrong, and poor planning for a number of reasons in addition to the neighbourhood opposition and the agricultural land use.
It is too far from the geographical centre of the maintenance area and will result in increased fuel consumption and increased non-productive time. In addition, it is too far from critical winter maintenance areas like school zones, bus routes, hills, downtown, etc.
There will be too much down time as the sand trucks travel to south canoe to reload.
I am pretty sure that all crew return to the yard for lunch break, and possibly more frequently for other reasons. Locating the public works yard appropriately is critical to productivity and cost savings.
The intersection of 10th Ave SE and Highway 97 is extremely dangerous due to the poor sight distance looking south and the traffic speed. Outbound trucks would mostly have to travel across the highway at 10th Ave. SE and it would not be long before there was a serious accident. The only safe intersection for truck traffic is at 10th Ave. NE. Using this route would add considerable time and fuel consumption, as well as impact more residents.
I urge council to reconsider and do the appropriate traffic studies. It would seem appropriate to hire a professional to study and report on the positive and negative aspects of this proposal.
Randy Wagner(Not a South Canoe resident)
