Brakes coming off truck station
YOU ASK. WE ANSWER. Q: About the MTO weigh scales on QEW past Vineland... Construction finish is way overdue. What’s the hold up? Also, who and where is the checking of the trucks done in the meantime?
A: Construction at the Vineland Truck Inspection Station was hit with some unexpected delays, but it should open next month.
Ontario Ministry of Transportation spokesman Bob Nichols said the station work included electrical system upgrades and improved site drainage, as well as the construction of two recessed inspection bays. The bays are supposed to allow enforcement officers to inspect commercial vehicles more thoroughly, efficiently and safely.
Nichols said in an email that the most significant delay was caused by a material supply issue for the energy-saving LED lights.
The lights were delivered late which pushed the work into the winter season when productivity was reduced.
Another delay was the result of some minor design modifications that were identified before the items were constructed. Those modified items — aimed at improving the effectiveness of the facility — were constructed during the spring.
Nichols said enough of the work was sufficiently completed by June 6 to allow a temporary opening of the station so it could participate in the three-day 2017 International RoadCheck Commercial Vehicle Safety Initiative.
The contractor is now completing the final work and is expected to be done by early to mid-August, depending on weather.
In the meantime, contingency plans were implemented so there would be an enforcement presence on the QEW during construction.
Nichols said the ministry has deployed mobile enforcement patrols along the highway to maintain commercial vehicle inspection and enforcement activities. It’s also been using Fort Erie, Winona and other lay-by inspection facilities to check vehicles. Q: I recall reading a story about rats in north Niagara Falls some time ago. I am now noticing a large number of rats in my area of Bridge and Stanley Avenue. We see them all hours of the day and night. Is the city aware of the problem? How much of the city is now affected? Who takes care of this problem? What can be done?
A: It’s not just a neighbourhood problem, or a Niagara Falls problem.
Ron Waters of enforcement services for the City of Niagara Falls said they’ve received numerous calls about rats in the last two or three years — more than typical in past years.
Many cities, not just in Niagara but across Canada are dealing with a proliferation of rats.
Waters said longer summers and milder winters are affecting rat mortality rates. More are surviving the winters and procreating.
Niagara Falls baits sewers in areas of concern but does not bait private property.
People who think they have a problem on their own property should call an exterminator. If there are rats spotted on city property or a neighbour’s property has debris and garbage
Fact finder
After last week’s column about the Rubik’s Cube statue at Arpad Hungarian Hall in Niagara Falls, (Search Engine: The puzzling case of the giant cube, July 22), Search Engine asked its online readers if they had ever solved a Rubik’s Cube. Of 377 respondents, the vast majority at 73 per cent said they’d never managed to match all those colour tiles. Twenty-three per cent — all geniuses — said they had solved a Rubik’s Cube. Four per cent said they’d never played with one.
sheltering rats, call the city so they can take steps to address it.
Residents with concerns can also call the region’s public health department. The Region has tips on its website that homeowners can take to rodent proof their home and make their properties less appealing to critters.
Those include raising woodpiles about 30 cm off the ground, securing garbage in containers, cutting tall grass and weeds and collecting dog feces. Send your queries to Karena Walter by email at kwalter@p-ostmedia. com; by Twitter @karena_standard or through Facebook at www. facebook.com/karenawalter