The partial closure of two of Halifax's busiest traffic arteries due to construction has prompted some motorists to take matters into their own hands.
A video captured last week by one Dartmouth driver shows motorists making their own lane to get to where they need to go.
The City of Halifax says they normally wouldn't shut down two of the city's busiest routes at the same time, but federal money was offered to upgrade water infrastructure on one of the routes. That meant the work had to be done by March 2018.
“I think what we're seeing is St. Margaret's Bay Road, Quinpool and some other large projects that are adding a little extra congestion than normal,” says Nick Ritcey, spokesperson for the city. “It's a normal season, but there are some really big projects that perhaps aren't typical of a normal season.”
Early Tuesday morning a witness snapped a photo and posted it on social media, saying the driver got impatient and decided to take the pedestrian path to get to their destination.
Halifax police say they are aware of drivers taking shortcuts, and are asking anyone who witnesses a violation to contact them.
“With the numerous construction projects ongoing in the municipality and obviously, October, with school being back, traffic flow is heavy,” says Const. Kristine Fraser of Halifax Regional Police. “We're just asking everybody to be patient (and) be considerate of the other drivers. We all have somewhere to go.”
Police say the fine making a third lane of traffic or taking alternative shortcuts could range from $180 to $697
