Ariel Tozman –
At its March meeting, Toronto City Council passed a motion asking Metrolinx to develop a “comprehensive truck safety plan” after dump trucks working for a subcontractor twice made unauthorized turns at Pape and Mortimer Avenues, seriously injuring a pedestrian in one incident.
Proposed by Toronto Danforth Councillor Paula Fletcher, the motion asks Metrolinx to develop enforcement measures, monitoring protocols, and a mechanism for residents to report concerns by April 11.
On February 6, a hauling truck employed by Green Infrastructure Partners (GIP) through an unknown subcontractor turned right onto Mortimer, deviating from the approved route and striking one person. On Feb. 27, a different driver repeated the maneuver, though no one was hurt.
GIP, hired by Metrolinx to lead major excavation work along the Ontario line, fired the two operators. Metrolinx installed additional ‘No trucks allowed’ signs at the intersection and deployed more construction safety officers in the Gerrard to Minton Place corridor.
At a public meeting hosted by Metrolinx on March 6, Councillor Paula Fletcher and Toronto District School Board Trustee Sara Ehrhardt, Toronto-Danforth MPP Peter Tabuns called for “a big truck and road safety plan to come out of these discussions…with real resources to implement it.”
John Pontarollo, CEO of GIP, said the company would make it “very clear” that drivers who fail to follow approved trucking routes will be dismissed. “Safety is our number one priority value.”
Hundreds of dump trucks will soon begin removing soil from the excavation site at Gerrard Street and Carlaw Avenue. Construction of the 15.6-kilometre Ontario Line subway is expected to finish in 2031, according to a city report.
David Anderson, a member of the Moss Park Coalition community group, said it can be difficult to tell which trucks are Metrolinx because of heavy traffic and construction in the area. “We have really high expectations on this project because we have public oversight over this,” he said.
Fletcher says community members want Metrolinx to install GPS trackers on heavy vehicles to ensure that they follow designated hauling routes and regulations. They should “monitor the trucks…through automation,” Anderson agreed.
Loaders and trucks “regularly go the wrong way up my [one-way] street at a pretty good pace,” said Gavin Adamson, who lives near a construction site at Queen Street and Eastern Ave.
“Massive trucks obscure residential intersections all the time,” he added. “You can’t see the traffic coming in either direction because you’ve got an 18-wheel truck full of soil.”
Crossing guards can help pedestrians, drivers and construction staff navigate traffic. Metrolinx has “people trying to help out,” Adamson said, “but not always … and it is the not always part when it’s really risky and dangerous.”
Many large suppliers use GPS trackers, but some smaller vendors don’t. Metrolinx is looking “closely” at using tracking software “on every single one of our trucks,” said Michael Hodge, vice-president of the Ontario Line project.
Cory Lemos, president of the Corktown Residence and Business Association, said Metrolinx initially planned a hauling route along King Street east of Parliament St. After community members repeatedly expressed concerns about the narrow, heavily used corridor, Metrolinx redirected the traffic to Eastern Ave.
“You have to be persistent and you have to be present,” Lemos said. Metrolinx, councillors and city staff must notify constituents about monthly construction meetings, she added. “They should be informing their constituents.”
Neil Betteridge, president of the Gooderham and Worts Neighbourhood Association, said the community participates actively in the Ontario Line Construction Liaison Committee covering Metrolinx’s Corktown and Don Yard sites, advocating strongly for “careful consideration of safety.”
Unrelated to Metrolinx, a cement truck struck and killed Tricia Waldon, a past board member of the Corktown association, at the corner of Mill and Cherry Streets in November 2020. “That sad memory informs [our] ongoing commitment to traffic safety for all users,” Betteridge said in an email.
“We are aware of these big trucks and the potential danger that can happen,” Lemos said.
A few weeks ago, Metrolinx approached the Corktown association to help steer traffic to local enterprises. Lemos said local businesses are starting to see declining sales because of subway construction, downtown gridlock and post-Christmas spending blues.
Metrolinx operates a 24-hour hotline to respond to safety concerns. In an email statement, the transit group said “supports are determined on a case-by-case basis subject to the type of work underway,” including making sure storefronts are clear and accessible and collaborating with businesses on “shop local incentives.”
