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Is a sound barrier needed?

St. Lazare resident raises issue after buying house next to highway

Brett Bundale
The Gazette
Thursday, August 14, 2008

St. Lazare once prided itself in having more horses than people.  But over the last several years, the off-island town has seen homes mushroom in fields that were once pastures.
Despite rapid growth, the town is still a haven for those looking for a home nestled in a quiet community with sprawling green space.
But some of the new houses were built within earshot of the relentless hum of cars and trucks on Highway 40, putting a dent in the quality of life of some residents.
So when Tom Fidas moved into dream home on Huntsman St., a few hundred metres from the highway, he looked into ways to diminish the sound.
“But I want to be clear that I knew what I was getting into,” Fidas said. “My real-estate agent brought out a map and showed me exactly how close I was to the highway. She even asked me to sit outside for a while and listen,” he said.
After being in his new home for about a month, Fidas asked the town of St. Lazare what he could do to muffle the hum.
“I just wanted advice on how to lower the sound in my backyard,” Fidas said. “They wanted to help me out but they said their hands were tied if there wasn’t enough support from other residents for the idea. So they suggested that if I got a few names together, they would look into how feasible a wall would be,” Fidas said.
Fidas launched a petition to see how many people would support the construction of a sound barrier along Highway 40 between exits 22 and 26.
Within a few weeks, nearly 40 people had signed the online petition, but Fidas said not everyone approached the idea for a sound barrier in the same way.
“Some people seem to think that it’s the city’s responsibility and that everyone should pay for it,” Fidas said. “But I think those who benefit from the wall should be the ones who have to pay for it (through their taxes),” Fidas said.
“A sound barrier would be considered a local improvement, though. So only residents directly affected would have to pay for it,” said St. Lazare Mayor Paul Carzoli.