The time has come to start clamping down on the big trucks that continue to wend their way through Estevan, and not using the designated truck route around the city.听
That is not to say some of these trucks and their drivers are not allowed within the city limits. Estevan Police Service (EPS) Chief Paul Ladouceur made that clear this past week both in a
media release and later in a discussion with the Mercury.听
鈥淚f they have a legitimate, viable reason to be in the city, such as the need to make local deliveries, fuel up or get repairs, then we welcome them,鈥� said the police chief.听
But as for the rest of them, the police service figures the drivers have had enough time to become aware of the truck route that opened over a month ago and is now the designated throughway around Estevan, if there is no intention of stopping to conduct any legitimate business.听
And Fourth Street is not on the user鈥檚 list.听
鈥淭here may have been some temporary confusion because our old truck route using Sixth Street was closed off while it was being rebuilt, so the big trucks were allowed to use Fourth Street because the truck route wasn鈥檛 opened yet,鈥� said Ladouceur.听
So, some leeway was granted 鈥� for a while. But now, police officers have been directed to levy tickets against semi-truck drivers who still insist on coming into Estevan while merely passing through, en route to another destination.听
鈥淲e have started issuing tickets. I don鈥檛 have exact numbers, but after multiple warnings, the drivers of these trucks know the regulations. We also know that driving is their livelihood, so we don鈥檛 like handing out these tickets that begin with fines of $150, but they (semi-truck drivers) can do everyone a favour, including themselves, if they just followed the rules,鈥� he said.听
The charges, when issued, are levied against the drivers, not the companies they represent, the police chief said. That might change in some instances if drivers start to ignore payments of fines. 鈥淲e might explore that option in the future if we don鈥檛 see co-operation,鈥� he added 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 see it as an ongoing problem. There are a few drivers who might drive through Estevan and never expect to see it again, but most of these operators are regular drivers in the province.听
鈥淪o, to be clear, we are not banning big trucks from the city, but if they are in it, they need to be in it for a reason, to deliver goods, get fuel or repairs.鈥澛�
As for the new 13 kilometre truck route, Ladouceur said his department would like to see 鈥渕ore distinct signs showing the drivers the entrances and exits, just to be sure. We understood that (more and better signage) was going to be the case, so we鈥檇 like to see that happen.鈥澛�
