Truck issue pushed down the road

Proposal to let heavy trucks continue using many downtown streets sent back to staff for review

Councillors sent a controversial heavy truck route proposal back to staff for a second look Monday — with a request for analysis of “a ring road approach” to getting big rigs from the industrial bayfront to the highway.

The city’s first recommended update in a decade to its heavy truck route map came to a special committee Monday, prompting 30-plus virtual delegations from residents and businesses to share an array of conflicting concerns.

Several residents, including supporters of the Truck Route Reboot coalition, raised safety concerns about continuing to allow thousands of trucks to “shortcut” on downtown streets to reach Highway 403.

The latest proposed map is “insulting, disrespectful and feels like a slap in the face,” said Beatrice Ekoko, who emphasized the noise, pollution and collision risks to residents on truck routes like herself. “Nothing is going to change for neighbourhoods impacted by truck traffic.”

The latest proposal removes some lower-city routes, including sections of Wilson, John and Wentworth, but the map still sends heavy trucks past six lower-city elementary schools and three hospitals citywide.

Ekoko and others appealed to the city to redirect all bayfront industrial trucks heading out of town east on Burlington Street-Nikola Tesla Boulevard to either the QEW or Red Hill Valley Parkway. “Take the highways that have been built for that purpose,” she said.

A total downtown route ban was strenuously opposed by trucking and bayfront businesses as well as the Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority, which has dozens of industrial tenants.

“It drives me crazy to see all the trucks in downtown Hamilton … (but) there’s just no other (viable) route, that’s the frustration,” said Hugh Loomans of fertilizer wholesaler Sylvite. He estimated it would add at least 15 minutes per trip for each westbound truck that had to first backtrack to the Red Hill or QEW — and maybe double that during congestion.

He said diverting thousands of trucks eastward from his west harbour terminal to reach the highway would cause “significant hardship” and more costs for agricultural clients.

Another new truck route suggestion includes banning the largest trucks — those with more than five axles — on some downtown routes. The city estimates between 150 and 180 of those heaviest trucks use in-city streets to reach Highway 403 each day.

That pitch was also panned by agricultural businesses, however.

Parrish & Heimbecker, which runs a bayfront grain terminal and flour mill, said only one of its flour trucks has fewer than six axles — and two-thirds of its fleet currently relies on downtown streets to reach the highway.

Councillors ultimately declined to endorse the recommended route updates Monday.

Instead, they voted 6-0 on a motion from Coun. Nrinder Nann directing staff to review the truck route recommendations with “prioritization” given to early council direction on Vision Zero traffic safety principles and an analysis that would “permit a ring road approach.”

That also means further consultation, particularly with groups and businesses that might be affected by measures to usher more trucks off downtown streets.

A report with the results of the review will come back to the committee by the end of March.