THUNDER BAY — The organization representing the operators of more than 60,000 transport trucks in the province warns there could be multiple negative repercussions from city council's recent move to ban trucks from Dawson Road.
Ontario Trucking Association senior vice-president Geoff Wood said Wednesday the decision means more than just diverting 1,300 trucks onto Highway 11/17 through the city every day.
He said in addition to a potential increase in collisions, data compiled by the OTA points to a significant hit to operating costs and an impact on the environment.
"Using 17 instead of Highway 102, we're adding 16 kilometres per trip. That's going to add about 21,000 kilometres of truck travel per day, or 7.6 million kilometres annually. That will require an additional 3,000 litres of fuel, generating close to 8,000 tons of CO2 emissions."
The OTA also estimates there could be six additional collisions involving transport trucks each year once they are forced to use Highway 11/17 through the city.
The Dawson Road truck ban is due to come into effect on Oct. 1, 2025.
Unless they are making deliveries or pickups, heavy trucks will be restricted to Highways 11/17 and 61, the Harbour Expressway, Main Street and Island Drive.
In the event of closures necessitated by emergencies, detours would be available.
Wood issued a statement to the OTA membership last week saying "It's extremely concerning that at a time when barriers to interprovincial trade are coming down, a key truck route that supports trade between Western Canada and Central Canada, as well as regional economies in the Thunder Bay area, is being removed from the network."
He said the city sits in a crucial location along the national supply chain, and redundancy in the highway network is necessary.
"We are hopeful there are no unintended consequences from council's decision," Wood stated.
In 2016, he said, trucks moving through Thunder Bay carried about $45 million worth of cargo every day, a figure that's likely increased to about $60 million since then.
"You push that out, it looks like somewhere in the $20 billion to $21 billion range (a year), so that's a significant amount of trade that can be impacted."
Wood told Newswatch there could also be an impact on the city's economy.
"In other port cities, banning truck traffic has caused a lot of challenges for their existing industries. I know Thunder Bay is still a strategic port. Looking forward, I think the message that Thunder Bay is potentially closed for business is something you want to avoid from an economic development perspective."
Wood said the OTA is still reviewing details of the city's new by-law and will be seeking clarification in the coming weeks with regard to its implementation and enforcement.
In the meantime, the association is inviting its members to submit their views on how the new by-law will affect their operations.
