Travel Blog

On Friday, May 17, 2013, there was a protest staged on Cornwall Island. This caused the closing of the bridge from Canada to the US at the Cornwall crossing and the Canadian Border. While we support the notion that free people can conduct peaceful protests to draw attention to whatever cause they have, there are a couple of things that we did not like about this situation besides the obvious inconvenience it caused us personally when we could not complete our trip.

First of all they are disrupting a major border crossing which means a lot of commerce etc is being delayed. It also increases cost to everyone, including the average consumer. Second, they are really trying to blackmail both governments into letting them do whatever it is they want to do. Many of them smuggle guns and cigarettes across the border. This is a rumor that everyone in Cornwall seems to know about.

Canadian Border

But what really got us upset is the poor organization of the Cornwall police and the blockades to the approach to the bridge. The street and all access points were closed well before the bridge. Even though there is just one lane along the approach route that you need to block access to.

Why not just block this entrance instead of forcing much of the traffic to go through the local mall and exit at the back of the mall! Why not put up signs well ahead of the blockade so that drivers could make appropriate decisions before getting stuck in traffic?

It seems that no one gives any thought to the convenience of the drivers in Cornwall. They really do not care about the tractor trailers and the tourists pulling campers and the RV’s.  This entire thing caused a major traffic headache which could have been managed much better. But of course that would require someone to think before they blocked a road!

For more posts about Canada, click here.

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