C.B. residents call for roadside warnings or closures during high winds

Citizens, emergency officials and municipal councillors in western Cape Breton are calling on the provincial Transportation Department to warn drivers of high winds that sometimes sweep across the region.

Several times a year, parts of Inverness County, including the area between Margaree Harbour and Chéticamp, are hit with Les Suetes winds, which are strong southeasterly winds that can exceed 200 km/h.

Many locals are familiar with the meteorological phenomenon and can take appropriate precautions. But for those who are just passing through — particularly those driving high-sided vehicles — the danger can come without warning.

"I've had the experience myself in an ambulance where the wheels came off the ground," said Alfred Aucoin, the chief of the LeMoine Volunteer Fire Department. "It's not nice. So I can imagine how they feel in a tractor-trailer."

This spring, a transport truck got caught in the wind and the truck toppled onto its side. The driver and a four-year-old passenger were not seriously injured, but Aucoin said it was a wake-up call.

"It's time that we do prevention. Better now than later," he said. "We have to do something before somebody loses their life."

Aucoin and Inverness County Coun. Laurie Cranton want to see signs with flashing lights put up in the area, or even road closures during high winds.

The Canso Causeway is sometimes closed when winds become too strong to allow high-sided vehicles to safely pass through.

"There's a general concern out there I think from the community that eventually something tragic is going to happen if we don't do something to work with this and prevent those types of rollovers," Cranton said.

"If we don't do something about it, it's going to haunt us for the rest of our lives because nothing got done."

A spokesperson for the Transportation Department said no one was available for an interview on Friday.

But she sent a statement saying after conversations with local councillors and community members, the department has decided to install a permanent warning sign in Grand Étang soon advising motorists of the potential for high winds in the area.