More commercial truck traffic in an east Richmond neighbourhood is causing sleepless nights and safety concerns for some local residents.
The number of commercial trucks passing through Hamilton along Westminster Highway seems to have increased since last year, especially at night, said area resident Andrew Wong.
“There’s definitely more volume of traffic from these trucks, and they are carrying significant weight while going faster than the posted speed this year,” said Wong.
Some of the traffic seems to be construction trucks, he added, possibly because of increased residential and commercial development in the area.
While Westminster Highway is the main thoroughfare through Hamilton, Jason Li, also an area resident, thinks its designation as a “highway” is a misnomer and it should be considered an “inner road.”
“We have so many houses right next to the road. We have a seniors centre, a day care. I’m pretty sure the trucks coming through can get to where they need to be by taking the actual highway (to Queensborough),” he said.
Wong added large trucks driving over the speed limit are a “huge risk factor” for seniors and children.
Wong told the Richmond News the sounds of trucks passing through the neighbourhood are not only loud but they also cause a lot of vibration, affecting homes and buildings next to Westminster Highway.
Wong, who often works from home, finds his dual screen monitors swaying when trucks pass by.
“When trucks drive over slight potholes, which we do have a lot in front of our complex, they’re very loud and cause these obvious vibrations,” he added.
“When we’re sleeping, you can feel the whole house vibrating and maybe even rocking.”
Hamilton’s section of Westminster Highway is considered part of the region’s Major Road Network. However, in the Official Community Plan (OCP), the policy is to make the section between Gilley and Smith roads a “non highway-like roadway” to “minimize truck and speeding traffic impacts to the area.”
The current weight limit for trucks driving through Hamilton, along Westminster Highway north, is five tons.
Meanwhile, Li, who has lived in Hamilton for eight years, also feels his home shake from passing trucks at night and early mornings.
“We’re often woken up from the vibrations every time they pass by,” said Li.
Risk factors of large trucks speeding
Speed along Westminster Highway is still one of the biggest ongoing concerns Hamilton residents face.
The City of Richmond recently installed a new speed sign on Westminster Highway at McLean Avenue and an island near Garripie Avenue to tackle this problem.
However, Wong and Li both said this is not enough and more enforcement is needed.
While Wong and Li understand it’s not feasible to ask truck drivers to only take the Highway 91A exit to get to Queensborough, they think there could be more bylaws to ensure the safety of Hamilton’s residents.
Enforcement by the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) and speed checks in the area would be a good start.
“I think it’d be good to have them do spot checks, speed checks, even equipment checks like they do along bigger highways and roads,” Wong said.
Another suggestion would be to limit the hours trucks can drive through the neighbourhood, especially in the evening.
