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Collingwood truck-stop angers residents

Neighbours say gravel trucks transfer loads on quiet residential street

THE ongoing construction at Collingwood School has left some Glenmore neighbours in the dust.

Residents along Glengarry Crescent in West Vancouver are unhappy with the noise, dust and commotion created on their quiet street by large trucks delivering gravel and sand to the work site.

Resident Andy Lepiarczyk said the neighbourhood was assured that during construction there would be no trucks stopping on the street, but that was not the case.

"At the front of my house is a no-stop zone. They regularly park there and basically the district has been doing nothing," said Lepiarczyk. "Recently when the dispute escalated, they started to ticket, but it brought very little resolution."

Construction of a new 7,000-square-metre wing to the school with 150 underground parking spaces started in June 2012 on the Morven Drive campus.

The construction has been a contentious issue between the neighbourhood and the District of West Vancouver. District spokeswoman Donna Powers said this is a large project and there have been a number of trades on site since it started.

"Some of them are unfamiliar with regulations on the North Shore, which are tighter than other areas of the Lower Mainland," said Powers. "As a result there have been a number of tickets issued over the course of the project."

But Lepiarczyk said the tickets have done little to deter the trucks from continually stopping on the street.

"They are using this as a transfer of cargo. It is treated, this stretch of street, like a construction zone," he said. "[The] truck with gravel or with sand is arriving but it's not proceeding to the site, it's stopping at the front of my house."

He said the driver disconnects the trailer, which then stays parked on the street, and the truck goes to unload the cargo at the site. The truck then comes back, moves the bucket from the trailer to the truck, unloads that at the site, comes back to hook up the trailer again and drives away.

"Next truck is arriving and it goes and goes and goes," said Lepiarczyk.

According to Powers, a resident contacted the bylaw department this week with a complaint about vehicles outside his home. The department investigated and issued tickets accordingly.

"The new drivers were instructed as to where they were permitted to stage vehicles, and bylaw officers continue to monitor the site," said Powers.

She said the bylaw department has had a strong presence on the site and issues tickets whenever there has been a violation.

"They have worked with the trades to ensure their compliance and understanding of the regulations, and the last three months have been complaint-free," said Powers.

Lepiarczyk said the district underestimated the amount of traffic. "They assumed the trucks would travel on Stevens Drive and come back on Southborough," he said. "They didn't take into account here on Morven Drive and Glengarry Crescent, one truck is going two times, in and out. They assumed it was only one trip. Impact on the neighbourhood was not considered at all."

Construction is expected to finish by November 2014.

Photo Andy Lepiarczyk / THE District of West Vancouver says it is policing truck drivers who have been parking and transferring loads on quiet Glengarry Crescent close to Collingwood School.;