Slow it down around Dunns Hill, mayor advises
By Craig Westcott
CBS Mayor Darrin Bent is encouraging motorists to keep within the speed limit, especially around the intersection of Route 60 and Dunns Hill Road in Foxtrap, which is being reconfigured again for another pilot project in the hope of making the high traffic area safer.
The latest change, which into effect December 20, will allow west bound traffic on Route 60 to turn left onto Dunns Hills Road. That had been prohibited for the past year as part of a previous pilot project that council initially thought would be permanent. Council reversed policy on the left-turning ban last month after complaints from residents of Greeleytown and from All Saints Anglican Parish that some motorists were tearing through its parking lot, which abuts the Dunns Hill Road intersection, to avoid the prohibition.
Ward 4 councillor Melissa Hardy, who chairs council’s public works committee, said the new pilot project will remain in place for a full year, after which the Town will conduct a survey and consider public feedback.
Mayor Bent cautioned that while motorists heading west can turn left onto Dunns Hill Road, there will be “absolutely no left turns out of Dunns Hill Road. That really is a thing of the past, as far as this council is concerned.”
The intersection is located near the tip of a blind turn facing four lanes of traffic on Conception Bay Highway with a Canada Post office, another intersection at Lodge Road, and two busy convenience stores all within hundreds of metres.
“We met with people in the area and found that the pilot project that we did the first time around caused some unexpected trouble in different areas – Greeleytown, All Saints Road – and All Saints Parish Hall were dealing with traffic (issues).”
Bent said the left-hand turn onto Dunns Hill is not as much of an issue as that of turning left onto Route 60, which has a much worse sightline.
“All of this works fine if people follow the rules of the road,” he added. “One of the things that most people in the area noticed is the speed of traffic heading east towards Dunns Hill Road, up around that turn. If you are doing more than the speed limit, you are putting yourself in danger and you’re putting people who you may not even be able to see in danger, and you shouldn’t be doing that. That is against the law and that is punishable. If you follow the rules of the road in that area, no left hand turns out of Dunns Hill, and you left hand turn safely into Dunns Hill – you have a good sightline there – and if people on Route 60 mind the traffic rules of the road, we’ll see how it goes. We’re going to monitor this very closely over the next period of time. It may be in place beyond the life of this council, I’m not sure, so somebody in the future will have to make a decision, but we will be watching it very closely and we pray upon the good nature of the residents and the people who use Route 60 to just use the speed limit and drive (according) to the conditions, with winter coming on now as well. Hopefully this will relieve some of the issues from the first pilot and will enhance the ability of residents to access the Dunns Hill area safely and from a different route. So hopefully that will all work.”