'Horrible, disastrous consequences': Residents call on government to fix dangerous Metro Vancouver intersection

Two similar crashes involving dump trucks happened in the same New Westminster Intersection in less than a week. 

Fortunately, no one suffered any serious injuries, but the Holmes-Columbia intersection has a dangerous and deadly history.

In 2011, a dump truck smashed into a small car, killing the driver. 

Police are reminding truck drivers to avoid Holmes Street, when possible.

“Holmes Street is not a truck route," said Sgt. Andrew Leaver with the New Westminster Police Department.

"Unless you have a very specific reason to be here, you will be ticketed.”

Leaver says police are increasing enforcement as a result of the two crashes.

“I can see how accidents can happen and I just think we need to step it up,” said Joe Foy, a resident who's lived on Holmes for nearly three decades.

“It has had horrible, disastrous consequences and we need to rethink how we can really prevent this from happening.”

Residents say increased construction in the area has resulted in more large trucks using the route.

“It’s very concerning," said Sharon Dilingeti, a mother who lives in the neighbourhood.

"My little kids are getting to an age where they can walk around on their own and I do find that I don’t like them walking on the road, I make them walk the side roads.”

Commercial trucks are not allowed on Holmes Street in most cases, but there are exceptions.

"It's allowed to use the most direct route to get to its destination," said Lisa Leblanc, director of engineering for the City of New Westminster.

Leblanc says the city is working with trucking companies and neighbouring municipalities including Burnaby to determine why large trucks continue to use Holmes Street, which slopes down towards Columbia Street.

CTV News asked the city why there are no signs indicating trucks aren't allowed on the street.

"We don't put signs up that say 'not a truck route' because then we would have signs up on almost every street in every city in the region," said Leblanc.

She adds, however, that the city is exploring if signage is the way to go.

“We are looking at signage within New West and in Burnaby to figure out if, maybe, there should be an exemption to our signage approach,” she said.

Police say the two crashes remain under investigation.