ATLANTIC

Fredericton takes next step to deal with traffic congestion at Tim Hortons drive-thru

THE CANADIAN PRESS Published Wednesday, October 16, 2019 11:34AM ADT Last Updated Wednesday, October 16, 2019 11:35AM ADT

A Tim Hortons restaurant is seen in Fredericton on Sept. 25, 2019. This particular location has a busy drive-thru, which is causing traffic headaches in the city.

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FREDERICTON -- City councillors in Fredericton have taken another step towards addressing traffic jams caused by a busy Tim Hortons drive-thru.

At its meeting Tuesday, council directed city staff to draft a bylaw resolution to prohibit left turns off Wallace Avenue.

That resolution is expected to be up for debate in a few weeks.

If passed, the no-left-turn would work in conjunction with a proposed turnaround at the end of the street -- creating a queue for the drive-thru and preventing that traffic from blocking Main Street.

Last month, council put the turnaround project on hold while it gathered more information.

Fredericton is the latest Canadian municipality forced to contend with safety, environmental and traffic concerns caused by restaurant drive-thrus.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2019.