The candidate for mayor of Montreal, Denis Coderre, wants to “restrict” the place and configuration of large trucks in the streets of Montreal, in addition to controlling the delivery schedules, at the end of a summit on the trucking that ‘he promises to hold out in the first year of his term, if elected in November.
The pandemic has boosted online shopping, which has already been on the rise in recent years, which has had the effect of increasing the number of delivery trucks that circulate in residential streets and on the arteries of the metropolis. However, the increased presence of these vehicles increases the risk of collisions with pedestrians and cyclists, worries Denis Coderre.
“We have to find a way to improve the service [de livraisons] and to improve living together, ”argued the former mayor of Montreal on Wednesday morning at a press conference held downtown.
Mr. Coderre therefore promises to hold a summit on trucking in the first year of his possible mandate in order to find ways to meet the needs of merchants and the increased demand of Montrealers for products purchased online, while avoiding making the metropolis less safe for the most vulnerable road users. This event would bring together experts, representatives of the trucking industry and organizations such as Piétons Québec, argues his political party, Ensemble Montréal.
“It does not make sense to let the 18 wheels pass at noon,” said Mr. Coderre, who wishes in particular to limit the hours allowed to make deliveries in the metropolis. Logistics transshipment centers could also be set up to facilitate the transfer of goods to smaller electric trucks, said the candidate for mayor. “We have to change the way things are done. “
This summit would also aim to determine a “standard of the Montreal truck”, underlines a press release from Ensemble Montreal, which mentions in particular the possibility of forcing trucks to be equipped with 360-degree cameras that limit their blind spots as well as side bars. Trucks could also have a flat front hood to increase driver visibility on the road, the party suggests.
“I want to listen to the experts, that’s why we’re making a summit [sur le camionnage]. But I want to restrict delivery, and that we give ourselves clear measures ”in this direction, added Mr. Coderre.
Called to react, the mobility manager at the City’s executive committee and Project Montreal candidate, Éric Alan Caldwell, described the summit proposed by Mr. Coderre as “flashy”. The City is already in discussions with the Quebec Ministry of Transport and Transport Canada to determine the best ways to review the standards surrounding the configuration of trucks, he argued, in an interview with the To have to Wednesday.
“We can’t miss our shot. The adjustments made must be the most effective in terms of road safety. […] There has to be rigorous work so that when you change a fleet of trucks, the changes made are those that ensure the most road safety, ”he added.
Dangerous intersections
The formation of Denis Coderre also promises to create an application where Montrealers could report situations where they “were almost hit by another road user”, or “near accidents”, indicated the candidate of the gone to the post of City Councilor in the Pointe-aux-Trembles district, Glenda Morris. Such a tool would then be used to target the most dangerous intersections in the metropolis in order to secure a hundred of them, says Ensemble Montréal. Several collisions have also been recorded in recent months at the intersection of Berri and Ontario streets, where this press conference took place on Wednesday morning.
“We do not need to wait until there is another dead or injured person before acting,” added Denis Coderre, who also wishes to speed up the efforts underway to lengthen the crossing time granted to pedestrians at intersections. of the metropolis.
Eric Alan Caldwell, from Projet Montréal, replies that the number of dangerous intersections in the metropolis is far too high to limit himself to redeveloping a hundred. The elected official stresses that the City has, in the last four years, taken advantage of each occasion when it had to carry out major work on streets to review at the same time the configuration of the intersections therein in order to make them more safe.
“To think that you can solve the problem by pretending that the problem is in some places and not in others is to be on the wrong track,” says Mr. Caldwell.