The proposed Designated Truck Route is outlined in Corporate Report 103/2018, along with a corresponding proposed DTR map.  

This issue remains ongoing and is of particular concern to your Chamber.  If you have concerns about the way this matter may affect your business, contact Charla Robinson, President, at (807) 624-2626 to be included in discussions.

Background

In May 2017 City Council announced plans for a new by-law that would restrict vehicles of over 15,000 kg to a designated route rather than the existing by-law which identifies certain roads that do not allow heavy traffic.  The designated route by-law approach identifies roads and parts of roads that trucks are allowed to use and makes it illegal for a truck to use any other roads that are not designated except where an exemption applies (ie: for delivering or receiving goods, etc).

The proposed designated route would have required transports, dump trucks, pulp trucks and other heavy vehicles to utilize what is locally known as the Shabaqua extension for travel in and out of the city to and from western destinations.  Had the new by-law been adopted, heavy trucks would no longer have been permitted to use Arthur Street between Hwy 61 & Hwy 17 or Dawson Road/Hwy 102 to Hwy 17 as their travel routes.

As this was a matter of significant concern to many Chamber Members, we asked the City of Thunder Bay to participate in an in-depth consultation with business to assess the realistic effects of the new Designated Truck Route and to identify alternative strategies.  The Chamber worked with City Administration to host a consultation session on May 25, 2017 that provided an opportunity for impacted businesses to learn more about the proposed changes and to express concerns or ask questions about the by-law.As a result of the business consultation session and our follow up letter to City Administration and City Council, City Administration prepared revisions to the by-law.

On February 15, 2018, the Chamber was pleased to host an information session for our members to learn more about the revised proposal for a municipal designated truck route.  We were happy to see that the city heard our concerns in relation to the original proposal which restricted truck traffic on all but 17 streets and would instead proceed with the current weight restrictions for streets within city limits.  However, we continued to be concerned with the revised designated truck route which would direct ALL truck traffic onto Highway 11/17 as there were ongoing questions regarding the safety of this proposal and the impacts on business accessibility and operator costs.

We appreciate the assistance of City Council and Administration in ensuring that business is consulted on this issue.

How You Can Participate:

If your business will be affected by the proposed changes to the Designated Truck Routes in Thunder Bay, please contact us to ensure you are included in future updates and invitations on this matter.