Noise complaints from LLB heavy-truck traffic

A heavy truck can be as loud as 90 decibels, the same volume as a jackhammer heard from one metre away. It’s that noise that has some Hamlet of Lac La Biche residents complaining that heavy-truck traffic is becoming a nuisance in the community.

According to information presented to Lac La Biche County Council at a meeting earlier this month, two companies have been using the Nipewon Road bypass near the Bold Center as a shortcut to the highway. The road used to be blocked to commercial traffic, but was opened early last year.

There is a subdivision near the road with 10 homes and two more under construction. Acting CAO Barry Kolenosky said the area could have as many as 60 homes in the future.

“Those residents brought forward their concerns of big trucks whizzing by,” said Mitch Newton, Manager of Protective Services. “They talked about the noise, as well as their concerns about their kids playing nearby when these vehicles are around.”

While stopping short of banning commercial traffic in the area, council discussed how to best reduce the noise. Councillor MJ Siebold suggested a sound-buffering fence as a way to shield the homes from the heavy-trucks cruising by.

Councillor Gail Broadbent agreed, saying it would be a way to correct the poor municipal planning that put a subdivision so close to an industrial area in the first place.

“We should be promoting quiet neighbourhoods,” Broadbent said. “I think people moving to a place like Lac La Biche would appreciate the quiet that comes with living in a smaller community.”

Councillor Alvin Kumpula wasn’t on board with the idea of a sound-buffering fence, saying taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for the noise complaints of a handful of residents.

“Are we really going to be listening to some people whining about a little bit of noise?” Kumpula said. “There are people who live by actual highways – where’s these people’s tolerance? And everyone else ends up paying for it.”

But councillor John Nowak argued that Lac La Biche County should be promoted as a quiet place to live – not a community that dismisses noise complaints.

“This shows we need to be more forward-thinking in our planning,” Nowak said. “Maybe it means we need to include [sound] buffers when we’re building subdivisions. Basically, we need to make sure we set the community up for success.”

Council voted to monitor the traffic on Nipewon Road near the subdivision, and to look into the cost of a sound-buffering fence.