CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The City of Charlottetown is trying to make it easier for transit bus drivers to do their job.
The city has written a letter to the provincial government, asking for legislation which would require drivers to yield the right-of-way to buses in the T3 Transit fleet.
Coun. Terry MacLeod, chairman of the environment and sustainability committee that oversees the transit system, said the move comes after T3 approached the municipalities it serves — Charlottetown, Cornwall and Stratford over some challenges.
“There’s been some incidents on the road where bus drivers are experiencing difficulty getting back onto the road after making a stop,’’ MacLeod said, noting that bus drivers are signalling their intention to re-enter traffic but motorists aren’t letting them in.
Currently, buses must rely on the courtesy of drivers. MacLeod suggests legislation would provide clarity for all drivers and help to reduce schedule delays.
This type of legislation already exists in Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. Fines in Nova Scotia for failing to yield to a transit bus range from $167 to $340, including court costs.
This legislation would require drivers approaching from the rear of the bus to slow down or stop, unless it is unsafe to do so, to allow the transit bus to re-enter traffic once the bus driver has activated the left-turn signal.
Nova Scotia’s law is applicable only where the posted speed limit is 60 km/h or less.
“(The bus driver) is trying to provide a service to the community and it’s important (the driver) is on time because people’s schedules depend on that bus,’’ MacLeod said. “It’s pretty important legislation, we feel, so we wrote a letter to the minister and, hopefully, we’ll get some positive feedback.’’
