Truck ban may backfire

Press, 22 December 1978, Page 2

Truck ban may backfire

After succeeding in getting Waimairi County to ban heavy trucks from Stratford Street, Fendalton, residents there now face a counter being considered by the Canterbury Drivers’ Union.

Stratford Street had for some, time served as a convenient short-cut for trucks travelling from Idris Road to Fendalton Road until residents complained, and had the street stopped to heavy traffic. Drivers are now considering banning rubbish-collec-tion trucks from the street, which means that residents would have to carry their household refuse to a central collection point at the end of the street.

According to the union’s secretary (Mr P. R. Liggett), drivers are ppset because they were hot consulted’

when moves were under way to have the trucks banned.

The union, said Mr Lig- ■ gett, was also upset about other similar street closings where the union had not ' been consulted. Furthermore, Mr Liggett said, there appeared to be doubt about the validity of the council’s by- ’ law banning trucks. He said that councils’ failures to consult the union about the closing of streets to trucks would be taken up at the union’s half-yearly meeting in March. The chairman of the council’s works, reserves, and traffic committee (Cr I. G. Clark) described the drivers’ reaction as “irresponsible,” and said that the union should have objected when the closing of the street was (publicly notified.