Moncton residents raise concerns about new traffic circle

CTV Atlantic: Moncton residents skeptical about traffic circle

A major new traffic circle in Moncton is near completion, but residents are skeptical about the cost, the size and the location.

The traffic roundabout, just weeks away from being completed, is cause for concern for resident Mike Bourgoin.

“The way they built it, the off-ramp from Killam Drive onto Purdy is really, really close to my driveway,” he says. “I am not complaining yet but I am giving them the chance to show me what it is going to be, but I got a feeling that presently, I am really nevous.”

He fears getting in and out of his driveway will be a risky venture after the roundabout is complete, but the City of Moncton says they are an efficient trend in traffic management.

“Fredericton has a few. I know Nova Scotia has quite a bit. It seems to be the trend,” says Moncton project engineer Marc Robichaud. “They work fine. Get rid of the traffic lights so less delays for cars.”

The $3.2 million project will open up access to a large sports complex currently accessible only from Millennium Drive. The sports complex is looking forward to increased access, but with a word of caution.

“Crossing that road, if the traffic does become quite heavy, will have to be addressed by the city and the people who make up the traffic laws,” says sports complex manager Louis Gaudet.

If used properly, roundabouts are more efficient than a regular intersection but they can be hard to navigate for the visually impaired.

“You have all the noise of trucks and all kinds of vehicles going every which way, so it is really difficult for a blind person to cross following traffic noise,” says Abby Bourque-Coile, who is visually impaired.

Driving instructor Susan Steeves says problems can also arise when drivers fail to understand how to use them.

“If there is nobody within the circle already, you do not need to stop, you just continue your way right into the circle,” says Steeves. “But it is that initial panic that people feel as they approach a traffic circle, that is where things kind of go wrong.”

The city expects the project to be completed by the end of October.

With files from CTV Atlantic's David Bell