Gaspereau River tubing traffic 'out of control,' residents warn

An Annapolis Valley man who promotes tubing on Nova Scotia's Gaspereau River says he's concerned someone will get hit in the crush of traffic the summertime activity draws to the area.

Chris Gertridge said the number of vehicles he saw on the weekend made him rethink promoting river levels on his Facebook page, Gaspereau River Tubing, which has about 14,000 followers.

"I know it's getting popular but this was just a little out of control and I really didn't want to see anybody get hurt," said Gertridge, who has maintained the site for years as a hobby. He isn't affiliated with any of the companies in the area that rent tubes.

Gertridge said he has been happy to share the beauty of the area where his family has lived, farmed and fished for six generations.

Vehicles line roads

But he said he has gotten increasingly anxious watching people weave in and out of vehicles on days when the river is high enough for tubing. People often park on both sides of the two main roads through the area.

"I post all this stuff, these updates so people can come and do this, enjoy this," he said. "I would feel absolutely horrible if someone got hurt doing it."

To illustrate the point, Gertridge posted a video of a car trying to navigate the traffic on one of the roads Sunday afternoon.

The 1 -minute video shows cars lining both sides of the Gaspereau River and adjacent roads. It has been viewed more than 11,000 times.

RCMP Const. Kelly Gaudet said the situation appeared "really dangerous."

She said some of the vehicles in the video appeared to be blocking proper access to a provincial highway. Under the province's Motor Vehicle Act, parking is not permitted alongside roads "unless a clear and unobstructed width of not less than 4.5 metres" is left for traffic to continue flowing.

Gaudet said the RCMP contacted the Department of Transportation to see if "No Parking" signs need to be updated or added to the area.

Concerns about parking, speed

From her home, Jennifer Davison can see the bridge that marks the end of the ride for most people tubing down the river. She said people walk along Greenfield Road in a haphazard way.

She said there was no way an emergency vehicle would have been able to drive quickly past her home Sunday.

"Way too many people for a small area," she said. "No control on the parking, or the people, or the traffic."

But not everyone sees it as a major problem.

Tammy Burghardt helps run King of the River Tubing, which rents rubber inner tubes.

"The only thing that I seen going on was the local traffic flying through here way too fast, laying on horns because they didn't want to stop or be inconvenienced by the tourism," she said.

People of all ages tube

Burghardt said she's against any attempt to limit parking in the area or the suggestion families park at the local school or community centre and walk the road.

"This is an event for all ages," she said. "To expect them to park at the Gaspereau school and walk here to get on the river? That would be like an hour-long walk."

Tuesday may be the last day the river will have enough water for tubing this month. Nova Scotia Power controls the flow of the river from its dam and Gertridge said the utility plans to divert the water starting Wednesday.