New Toronto by-law may disrupt deliveries

Effective July 1st, it may become more difficult to ship or receive goods
in the Toronto downtown area.

A new City of Toronto by-law is coming into force at that time that will ban delivery vehicles from parking on some downtown streets during the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
In an attempt to to reduce traffic congestion and gridlock, delivery vehicles will be encouraged to use loading docks or side streets.

The Ontario Trucking Association says it sees many practical problems with the new by-law, including increased costs to local businesses.

“Most downtown loading docks, where they exist, are already congested. So are most side streets, and they cannot accommodate larger commercial vehicles anyway,” says OTA President David Bradley.

The association is reaching out to local business groups to ask them to get their members to work with the delivery companies to try and make the best of the situation, perhaps by conducting more off-peak, night-time deliveries.

And the OTA is also calling upon Mayor Mel Lastman and city council to delay the July 1st implementation date, or at least to introduce it with soft enforcement, in order to allow for the establishment of a joint City-Delivery Company-Local Business consultative committee that would meet to discuss a practical approach to the problem.