TRURO, NS
Following a strong show of support for a roadway, Truro Town Council voted not to close the cross street known as 'Railway Drive' and 'DAR'.
Twenty local residents showed up at a public hearing during the council meeting on Monday to speak out on why the road was important to them, or to show support for those speaking.
“I’ve been using this as a street since 1970,” said Winston Weir, who lives on Kaulback Street. “I use it four to five times a day normally.”
He noted the road provides him with the shortest and most convenient way to get to areas on Willow Street or the west end, and he feels closing it would lower property values in the area.
“Our decision to close the DAR is based on the fact that this section of right of way was never considered a road,” said Chuck Roberts, engineer with the town. “It’s never been treated as a roadway although vehicles do use it to access Willow and park on it. The maintenance that we’ve done has just been minimal; it doesn’t meet our standards for a street right of way.”
The plan was to divide the property into two sections and sell it.
The town had concerns about costs involved in bringing the lane up to standard.
“I think that a roadway for a railway carrying hundreds of tons on it would certainly stand up to carrying a car of one or two tons,” said Weir
One Kaulback Street resident said he probably wouldn’t have built in the area if the road hadn’t been there. He assumed that, since many vehicles were using it each day and there was a stop sign at the end, it was considered to be a road.
Orville Pulsifer said closing the road would adversely affect traffic on Kaulback Street, with people having to drive along it further and NSCC students who now park on Railway Drive looking for an alternative spot (although vehicles have been ticketed for parking along the lane).
The town also received correspondence from several citizens, most of them wanting the road to remain open.
Council voted 6-1 to keep it open, with only Ward 2 Councillor Tom Chisholm voting against the motion.
