Tim Hortons' Drive Thrus Are Wreaking Havoc In Canadian Cities
We've all relied on a Tim Hortons' drive-thru at least once in our lifetime. Whether it's to get an early morning coffee before work or to grab a quick snack on the way home, Canadians find themselves sitting at the drive-thru on numerous occasions. However, sometimes the waiting time is longer than others, as cars line down the road with Canadians eagerly awaiting their Tim Hortons' fix. In fact, many Canadian towns are now claiming that Tim Hortons' drive-thrus are actually wreaking havoc in their cities.
It's pretty normal to face long lines at your local Tim Hortons, especially if you are in a bigger city. While many Canadians don't mind waiting for a few extra minutes as long as hot coffee is waiting on the other end, some cities are now claiming that the drive-thrus are starting to become a safety hazard.
In more recent news, the City of Fredericton has planned to spend $40,000 to build a "traffic circle" in an attempt to limit the amount of traffic that is clogging up the roads near one of their Tim Hortons' drive-thru locations.
According to Global News, this new traffic circle will be banning left-turns into the drive-thru to prevent the line from spilling onto the street and blocking traffic.
Yet, this isn't a new issue. Four years ago, the Frederiction Police released a statement urging people to stop making illegal stops on roads and sidewalks by Tim Hortons' drive-thrus, stating that "coffee-lovers waiting in the drive-thru at these locations causes havoc during morning commutes."
However, it's not just Fredericton that seems to be facing this issue. Earlier this year, the Guardian reported that members of Three Rivers, P.E.I. were blocking traffic while attempting to get their morning coffee at their local Tim Hortons.
In fact, the Guardian reported that the city was having recurring issues of drivers blocking traffic throughout the years, especially during Roll Up The Rim To Win season. So much so, that RCMP are now attempting to keep an eye on the issue to limit the amount of traffic that builds up throughout the day.
Earlier this month, the residents of Nova Scotia experienced a similar problem after Hurricane Dorian rolled through. With Tim Hortons opening their doors just a day after the storm, residents flocked to the drive-thru.
The mass amount of people on the roads actually prompted the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency to ask residents to stay away from the area, as the long lines were blocking the path for emergency responders.
According to CTV News, a 2018 study by the BMC Public Health journal showed that 27 Canadian municipalities across six provinces have already adopted partial or full bans on fast food drive-thru services. Yet, it was not stated exactly if these bans were related to traffic issues.
Tim Hortons has told Narcity that, "At Tim Hortons, our goal is to provide guests with options for ordering that work best for them while ensuring minimal impact to our communities. We are continuing to work with local governments and city engineers to develop a solution that has minimal impact on our guests and the community."*
*Editors Note: This article was changed to reflect Tim Hortons' statement.
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