Niagara River Bridge Delays
There have been quite a few articles in local papers and comments on social media about the lengthy delays at Niagara's border crossings. Some travellers sitting for hours waiting to get through the line-ups at the bridges. With tourism at a record high, the border delays can in some cases hinder people's decision to travel across the borders.
The delays have been reported to be due to a manpower shortage. This week, the Mayors of Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Port Colborne, Niagara Falls, New York, Lewiston, New York and Buffalo, New York sent a letter to The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness asking that something be done about this situation sooner rather than later.
Sitting in this type of exasperating traffic on hot summer days discourages visitors from attempting to come to Canada, hampers the movement of goods in both directions, negatively affects commercial enterprises on both sides of the border, clogs local streets and major highways and degrades the environment. The evidence on all counts is clear.