Dear editor,
What makes a good neighbour? In my opinion, it's being respectful of others, caring for the wellbeing and safety of your neighbour and their property and honouring commitments made to them.
This describes the vast majority of Rocky View County residents. It also describes a large number of the businesses in Rocky View County, with one exception, in my view – CN Rail and its transportation branch CNTL.
Since 2012, when the logistics park was dropped onto Conrich, CN has promised to limit the movement of its intermodal trucks to Township Road 250 and Highway 201. The company's representatives specifically promised, at a public hearing, that they would keep the number of trucks on Range Road 284 to an absolute minimum in order to maintain the safety of residents along that road.
That promise has been broken repeatedly and most of the communication on the issue has been one-way. I have written to a wide variety of people at CN asking them to please speak to their drivers and remind them of the promise made to the local residents. I have had three responses, all of which stated they would look into it.
Today was the last straw. In a two-hour period, I counted 11 trucks passing by my driveway, including nine CNTL trucks and three contractors. Not only has CN chosen to be a poor neighbour, the feeling is that they are now laughing in our faces because they know Rocky View County will do nothing to protect the safety of its residents.
I long for the day when Rocky View County council begins listening to its residents and implements truck routes and heavy fines for transport trucks that don't follow the rules. Maybe regulations are the only way to make good neighbours.
John Morgan
Delacour
