Truckers not happy with more roundabouts on P.E.I.

Jean-Marc Picard says while truckers are not happy to hear they'll be dealing with two more roundabouts between Charlottetown and North River, he says overall they're pleased with the proposed Cornwall bypass.

Phase One of the $65 million project is set to begin Tuesday, with two new roundabouts at the Maypoint intersection and the Cow's intersection on the North River causeway.

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Picard, the executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, said truckers did voice their concerns about the new roundabouts at the only public meeting held so far on the project

They said they would rather have seen the current Charlottetown bypass extended across the river with a new bridge. Now they say they'll have to leave the bypass, and negotiate the two new roundabouts.

But Picard said the minor inconvenience is outweighed by having the Cornwall bypass.

" I don't think it was quite safe to go through any village with commercial trucks. From one standpoint, we're not going through the village, so it helps us," said Picard.

"Of course, roundabouts, some carriers don't like to go through them, but they're made for traffic to flow better instead of putting street lights, so the project was to eliminate some traffic, for the commercial trucks to bypass the city, and that's what we're doing, so  at the end of the day, that's the way I look at it."

Picard said he understands truckers would have preferred a new bridge across North River, but added he understands that that would have been too costly.

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