News Release Archive
TRANSPORTATION/COMMUNICATIONS--IMPROVED SAFETY AT CAUSEWAY ------------------------------------------------------------ A new system to sort trucks at the Canso Causeway scale house will reduce the number of left turns and improve safety, Transportation and Communications Minister Richie Mann said today. Weigh in motion scales in the road-bed have been linked to the scale house at the causeway, and a new signal system will indicate to drivers that they should proceed straight through, or report to the scale. "The weigh in motion scales determine whether trucks heading to Cape Breton are overweight," said Mr. Mann. The weight will be registered at the scale house, and, if the truck is overweight, the driver will be given a signal requiring a stop at the scale house. If the vehicle is within legal limits, it will be permitted to pass without stopping. Mann said, "The equipment is in place as part of a federal-provincial project to collect information on numbers and weights of vehicles. Using the equipment to reduce left turning trucks entering and exiting the scale house has addressed a safety concern expressed by many people," he said. He said that "the implementation of this system will improve safety, use existing technology more effectively, and reduce time delays to truckers." Scale house staff will initially operate a manual signal if a truck is required to stop. An automatic signal, linked to the scale itself, will be installed within a few months. -30- Contact: Public Affairs and Communications 902-424-8687 trp Dec. 19, 1995