The Minister of Transportation and Public Works, Hon. Mike Currie, today praised the efforts of highway maintenance crews in the face of an unfair attack from Liberal MLA Ron MacKinley.
"The employees are doing a tremendous job," stated Minister Currie, "They are dealing with demands on the system as a result of a variety of weather conditions over an extended period of time. They are very dedicated to providing good public service and are putting in a lot of time and effort to meet the needs of the travelling public."
The Minister cited Mr. MacKinley for "seeking headlines by attempting to create unnecessary fear and ignoring the effort of government employees. It is easy for him to be an arm chair critic but the employees have to deal with the reality of the weather conditions and they are doing a good job."
"As one might expect from Mr. MacKinley, several of his accusations are unfounded. Actually there are more people and equipment employed this year than previously. To suggest that government would reduce services to the travelling public as a cost cutting measure is incorrect, unjustified and unfair. Specifically, on the section of Trans Canada Highway between Charlottetown and Borden, more equipment and resources have been assigned to the route than in any previous year. Some of the province's best equipment and most experienced personnel are assigned to the route. The result is that the service capacity on the Trans Canada Highway is better than in previous years.
On a provincial basis, both equipment operation time, and de-icing materials usage, are tracking higher than planned to this point in time. There has been no reduction in services this year. In fact, it is quite likely that more work will be done this year than originally planned" said Mr. Currie.
Highway conditions are monitored through a system of regular road patrols covering 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Equipment is dispatched based on the current road conditions consistent with the storm response guidelines used by the Department for many years.
Winter driving conditions can change very quickly, and it is always important for drivers to adjust their driving to meet the changes in conditions. The department remains committed to providing the best possible travelling conditions for the public.