Toronto City Council Agrees
to OTA’s Call for Downtown Truck Ban to be Sent to Committee for
Consideration
(Feb. 2, 2006 Toronto) -- Toronto City
Council has voted to refer a motion which would have banned all truck
deliveries in Toronto’s downtown core (defined as Spadina to Jarvis and
Bloor to the lake) to the Works Committee for public input and deputations.
The motion, presented directly to City Council by
Councilor Michael Walker, had not been previously considered by Council or
any of its committees and it therefore needed a 2/3 vote to by-pass committee
consideration. It failed to get that support.
Ontario Trucking Association president David Bradley
wrote to Councilor Walker as well as the Mayor and all members of
Council indicating that “delivery schedules are not established by
the trucking industry. Our customers
– in this case the
businesses located in the downtown core
– dictate when and
where our trucks pick-up and deliver goods. The problem is, and has always been,
that few businesses in the core are 24/7 enterprises and have staff available to
receive or load goods during off-peak times. By forcing all trucks to make
deliveries during a limited narrow delivery window, the result may also be
increased truck traffic during 10 a.m.
– 3
p.m.”
Bradley continued: “I would suggest to you that
it is those businesses you are going to have to convince to absorb the
additional cost of being able to ship/receive before and after the peak
congestion periods. To date most have not shown a willingness to do
so.”
Bradley’s letter to Council concluded: “At
the very least I would urge you and the members of council to refer this matter
to a committee for full consultation with both the trucking industry and
shippers/receivers. This proposal requires careful consideration of all of the
impacts of such a policy.”
A number of Councilors responded to Bradley’s
letter with favourable comments.
While OTA is pleased council agreed with our view that
this issue required greater consultation with both the trucking industry and
shippers/receivers, it is important to note that the vote today does not mean
that this initiative is dead, far from it. The Works Committee will now hold
consultations as OTA had requested, but they may yet vote to enact a ban on
truck deliveries in the downtown area. OTA will be making a strong presentation
to the committee when the hearings are held.
Media Contact: Rebecka Torn, Manager,
Communications, (416) 249-7401 x 224
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