October 4, 2019
Mayor & Council
City of Thunder Bay
Via email
Dear Mayor Mauro & Members of City Council:
DESIGNATED TRUCK ROUTE BY-LAW 110/2019
Under the City’s Procedural By-law, the Chamber of Commerce is not eligible to make a further deputation on the above By-Law during the October 7, 2019 meeting.
As such, this letter outlines the Chamber’s on-going concerns with the proposed by-law:
- Lack of evidence identifying problems with current policy using COTB collision data;
- Safety implications of adding 500 – 1,000 trucks per day (55% of which travel between 8am and 6pm) to Thunder Bay Expressway and Kakabeka Falls;
- Increased fuel & maintenance costs, time, distance and carbon outputs for business deliveries;
- The By-law as written will apply to trucks but also to cube vans, 5 tonne trucks and may be applicable to RVs and other trailers;
- Weight restricted streets proposed on Red River Road, Strand Ave, Regina Ave, and Picadilly Ave are unnecessary and add complexity that is not supportive of business success;
- Weight restrictions on Arthur Street reduce access to numerous truck dependent businesses, will increase operating costs and may result in reduced business revenues and job losses; and,
- Lack of clarity regarding implementation and enforcement.
The minor amendments that have been included in proposed By-Law 110/2019 do not address our continued concerns; rather, the addition of exemptions for some deliveries but not all serves only to add further complexity for business to comply and for the police to enforce this By-Law.
Based on these numerous concerns, the Chamber of Commerce is opposed to By-Law 110/2019. Thank you for your consideration of our concerns.
Sincerely,
Charla Robinson
President
