Frustration as glitch holds up truckers at the docks

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31: The new intersection outside Hamilton Docks is proving a headache for departing truck drivers.

As they leave port they have to jump out of the truck, push a roadside button to trigger the lights and then rush back to their vehicle before the lights turn red again, because underground sensors have not been installed yet.

Truckers will have to wait another six weeks before the sensors, which help control traffic flow, are laid.

The new Docks entrance and exit opened last Thursday and although truck drivers travel through the X-ray building to get out of the docks the scanner itself is still not in operation.

City Engineer Patrick Cooper told the Bermuda Sun: “We originally hoped to have the underground sensors in place by the time the junction went live.

“But this was not possible due to problems getting in the supplies from the UK as well as the expertise to install them. Therefore we will be training our own staff to do the work of installing the sensors on all four sides of the junction including the exit from the docks in the coming weeks.

“At present we do have microwave detectors on Front Street and Court Street to help regulate the flow of traffic. But for the next month-and-a-half truckers will have to continue getting out of their trucks and pressing the button to get out of the Docks.”

The sensors will be installed at every point of the junction at Court and Front Street and yellow hatching lines will also be painted in the middle of the intersection to deter cars from stopping inside the junction.

One truck driver, who asked not to be named, told us: “They have known for years how this configuration was going to work so it is unacceptable that these underground sensors have not been installed yet.

“We’re all pretty unhappy about the situation.This kind of thing should have been sorted out a long time ago. It’s not just about getting out of the truck to press the button and then rushing to get back in before the lights turn red. It’s the limited amount of time you are given to get through the lights which is frustrating.”