Growing number of vehicles put pressure on roads
Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (Feb 12/01) - The growing number of cars and trucks is taking a toll on the town's streets.
Over the last three years, about 1,000 new vehicles have been brought into Iqaluit.
Their impact on the town's roads is frustrating drivers and municipal and territorial officials alike.
"It is to the point that we need to have street lights and snowmobiles should be restricted," said Diane Houle, who has been driving around Iqaluit for seven years.
"Rush hour is getting longer and there is no parking which is becoming a big problem because there are no regulations regarding it."
The Nunavut government's manager of services and inspections agrees something must be done.
"The road conditions are pathetic," said Tom Bragard. "They are getting considerably worse because of traffic.
"It now takes 20 to 25 minutes to get to Apex and that is the product of a fast-growing community."
Paving downtown's 'four corners' area is the first item on the Town's agenda.
Over the next month, the Town will plan where to go from there, possibly from the four corners to NorthMart.
Director of engineering and planning Matthew Hough said other work will include rebuilding gravel roads and adding more sealant.
"We need to build the roads back up again so gravel roads can survive the increase in vehicles," he said.
He admitted more can be done, such as re-paving the road to Apex which has not received a new coat of asphalt since the 1970s.
"Five years ago it was not a problem because the traffic on it was minimal," he said. "But money is always the concern."
Some of the money problems may be solved by additional development.
Iqaluit's Chief administrative officer, Rick Butler, said the Town can charge a development fee for road improvements.
"There are some developers coming and we are negotiating with them to help pay for problems caused by traffic," he said.
The municipality is also looking at installing traffic lights at busy intersections as another way to improve traffic flow.
