I’ll admit that having a hardware store downtown is really nice, but do we really need a lumber yard? The land must be worth much more than their lumber business. Lumber yards don’t really need to be convenient to anything so they could probably move out of that site and still get the same amount of business.

Hmmm, just noticed that the Irving is also taking up a lot of space………

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6. West end of Knowledge Park Drive

This is a big mess. At the end of it, where it intersects with Arnold Dr and Regent St, the traffic lights don’t have advance left turn signals, yet most of the traffic is turning traffic. The lane markings weren’t thought out very well, there are stripes where a left turn lane should be and there isn’t enough warning when the right hand lane turns into a right turn only lane. (thanks Orser!)

5. No median on Route 8 between PMB and Hanwell Rd.

Part of the point of having a divided highway is so that you don’t have the risk of oncoming traffic ending up in your lane. With nothing but a narrow grass strip, there isn’t anything to stop a drifting vehicle.

Will this stop a car?

4. Removal of “scramble” intersections.

Back in the day, downtown Fredericton was the friendliest of places to stroll about. City planners loved pedestrians, and it showed. Being able to cross an intersection diagonally was thought of as being one of the most progressive things the city ever did. Sadly, the city’s love of the downtown has long come to an end. The removal of the scramble intersections, along with the desire to collect more revenue from parking makes the downtown a different place than it used to be. We are lucky that there is still a single scramble intersection left on Prospect St., in front of F.H.S.  Hopefully it will get heritage protection status.

3. Fast lane off-ramp on TCH west of Fredericton.

Now it’s MRDC’s turn to get on the list. Why do I have to turn off in the fast lane? So MRDC can make more profit by not building an overpass.

2. Fast lane on-ramp to TCH east of Fredericton.

Cheapness comes in pairs.

1. Oromocto’s TCH ramps.

Boy, did they ever get screwed on this one. They had two full intersections, but when MRDC came in, they tore up two perfectly good ramps to give them one and a half intersections. They also didn’t finish the intersection to Hwy 7 which makes it annoying if you are coming from Gagetown and want to go to Saint john.

This was handy for a lot of people

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I can confirm that Coery Haim is in Fredericton. I have seen him myself. He is here filming a movie called “American Sunset“. There are a number of scenes that are being filmed in downtown Fredericton. Much of the activity seems to be centered around this truck:

To see what he looks like, you can check out his latest photo gallery. When I saw him, he was wearing these massive aviator sunglasses and had three other guys with him that looked just like him. I am not sure whether they were stunt-doubles or an entourage.

They tend to film during rush hour so there’s more traffic in the background. The production crew tends to bag up the parking meters near where they are going to shoot so the spots don’t get taken. The bags are there all day and may have “American Sunset Productions” written on them. You may also see a bunch of trailers parked around town. On Monday, they were spotted in the old TRA/Sobeys parking lot.

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The last time I suggested a building get torn down, it actually got torn down. Encouraged by my previous 100% success rate, I’m continuing to make some more suggestions.

On a more serious note, urban sprawl is an issue, but it doesn’t need to be as we have plenty of space downtown, we just aren’t using it very well.

Originally built as a grocery store, this eyesore has been vacant for years:

Not much you can do with a single story grocery store, but it does have a large footprint. Compare it to Frederick Square (in blue):

You could build a really nice building here (as long as you don’t mind the occasionally flooded basement). This would be a perfect spot for the rumoured courthouse.

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There’s a small bug that seems to be present in many traffic light controllers that allows you to deny an advance left turn to oncoming traffic.  I’ve seen a few other drivers doing this (including a transit bus) so I don’t think this is anything new.

If you see an oncoming car in the left turn lane, don’t pull up to the stop light, pull up 1.5 car lengths behind it.  You may be able to see where the sensor loop is if it hasn’t been paved over.  Once the cross-traffic clears, both sides will just get a regular green light and you won’t have to wait for the turning traffic.

This only works when:

• That specific light is triggered by a sensor loop.  If it’s timer based, this won’t work at all.
• The cars turning left from the cross-street didn’t cut the corner to tightly and run over the sensor.
• There isn’t anybody in the left turn lane on your side

A word of caution however: the turning car may be expecting the advance and may not notice that they don’t have it. Try not to drive into their side as they cut you off.

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This is a warning to let you know that there are scammers going door to door offering to pave (or repave) your driveway. They were in Fredericton this weekend and will soon be likely to travel to other places in the Maritimes.

Remember, if you suspect that someone at the door may be a scammer, you can watch for these warning signs:

• The fact that they came to the door. Most people call contractors, legitimate ones rarely solicit door-to-door.
• You are not given any time to decide. If they won’t let you think about it or if you get a significant discount if you go for it right away, then they are a scam.
• Are they pressuring you? Fast talking and high pressure sales are a good clue that something isn’t right.
• Do they have any paperwork? They should give you a written estimate.
• Are they driving a “company” truck? If so, does the logo look like a magnet that’s been removed several times? Fake contractors will remove their logo as soon as they are out of your neighbourhood. That way, the cops won’t spot them as easily.
• If you do get any paperwork, it should include a full address, phone numbers, as well a GST/HST number.
• In most municipalities, door-to-door vendors require an ID tag with their name and company to be visible at all times. They may also need to have a license.

Here’s an example of a “business card” handed out by one of these people:

You may notice that they don’t have the address listed. It should also be noted that real landlines start with “4″ for Fredericton. If you look up 506-260 at cnac.ca, you’ll find that that phone number is just a cell phone. Of course, you won’t be able to do that while standing at the door.

If you are at the door and you’ve figured out that they are scammers, don’t let them know that you’re on to them. Just tell them that you’re not interested and try to get the plate number from their vehicle (if you can). Now, you should check to see if they are actual scammers, or just sleazy (there are a number of Fredericton contractors who fall into the sleazy categotry). The best way to do it is to Google them. If they don’t show up, then they aren’t real. If they do show up, click around, you may learn a lot. Next, you should call the cops. Don’t call 911, call their main number (460-2300). Even if you don’t have a plate number, they’ll still file a report which will keep them fresh on their minds.

Here’s a YouTube that tells you what they’re all about:

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