A section of York Street will be closed to traffic for a 10-day stretch this summer to accommodate the influx of athletes who will be in town for one of the largest sporting events ever held in Atlantic Canada.
York Street – from Lansdowne Avenue up to Salem Street – will be used as one of the primary sites for shuttle bus services for the 2010 IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championships in Moncton this July and will therefore be closed from July 15-25.
Coun. Merrill Fullerton said the closure is necessary “in order to facilitate bus movement and to ensure safety of athletes during frequent pick-ups and drop-offs.”
Although the track and field competitions are being held in Moncton, more than 1,200 of the young athletes will be housed on Mount Allison University’s campus throughout the week-long event.
Shuttle buses will be arriving and leaving Sackville every 30 minutes, transporting the athletes to and from Moncton for their events.
“So this decision is one that will ensure safety, fluidity of traffic, and will accommodate an important partner that is bringing 1,200 people into our community this summer,” said Fullerton.
Sackville resident Meredith Fisher, however, said she disagreed with Fullerton about the necessity of the closure and recommended council reconsider the decision to close down one of the town’s main streets in the middle of summer.
“It’s not nursery school; these kids know how to cross a street,” she said, noting that there are better locations in town that could serve as a loading zone for shuttle buses.
But Fullerton said although the closure will be an inconvenience at times, he has no qualms about the town shutting down the street for a short period of time during the quieter summer months, a time when many people are away at their cottages anyway.
