Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 26/04) - A Yellowknife resident says no matter how many times she calls bylaw, city trucks hauling snow continue to speed down her street.

What makes matters worse, the trucks are speeding through a school zone, said Leona Callahan, who lives on the corner of Calder Crescent and Finlayson Drive.

Leona Callahan, with her children Michael and Erika, peers through her window onto Finlayson Drive where she says she saw city snow removal trucks speeding through a school zone on three separate occasions. - Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo

"When I woke up today it was nuts," said Callahan on Tuesday. "They were zooming down there and they've all got City of Yellowknife written on them."

The kids' day-home operator said she first called municipal enforcement two weeks ago but no one came until she called the RCMP.

That morning she estimates the trucks were travelling 50-60 kilometres an hour down Finlayson past N.J. McPherson school over a three hour period.

After witnessing bylaw patrol the area, Callahan figured that would be the end of it but last Thursday she awoke to the same scenario.

She called bylaw and spoke with city officials later that afternoon, and was assured the speeding would stop.

On Tuesday morning, however, Callahan again spotted snow removal trucks speeding through the school zone on Finlayson.

"I'm tired of calling bylaw, I'm tired of calling buddy (Greg) Kehoe at Public Works. I've had it," said Callahan.

"If my child gets hurt, heads are going to roll. I have to send a seven-year-old out there to walk to school."

Public Works director Greg Kehoe couldn't be reached for comment, however, superintendent Dennis Althouse said they are taking her concerns seriously.

"It's not like bylaw is letting us run rampant through the streets," said Althouse.

"They are giving our drivers tickets."

He said he wasn't aware of any of his drivers being ticketed for speeding through a school zone, though one was given a ticket for driving through a yellow light in February.

He said drivers caught speeding will be verbally reprimanded for a first offence, followed by "progressive discipline" for subsequent tickets.

"We are taking this very seriously," said Althouse. "We all work for the community. I have 18,000 bosses."

Municipal enforcement manager Doug Gillard said he is aware of at least one city truck driver ticketed for speeding on Finlayson. That charge is still pending, he said.

"We treat snow removal trucks no differently than any other vehicle caught speeding," Gillard said.