Hamilton truck traffic grinds residents’ gears; city councillor promises action
Published June 8, 2021 at 9:00 pm
Ward 2 City Councillor Jason Farr is promising to look into why heavy tanker trucks and transports have been detouring through relatively narrow residential streets this week.
Wellington Street North, which runs through the ward Farr represents, is closed between Barton and Burlington Streets this week due to CN Rail construction. The one-way street is a heavily used connector between the north-end industrial area and Hamilton Mountain. Residents have said that they have spotted several trucks, that are presumably coming from making pickups in the industrial area in the north end, making detours on streets that are not intended for heavy trucks.
On Tuesday, Farr wrote on his Twitter account that such detours “never should have happened,” adding that they contain “flaws … and no enforcement assurances.”
A contractor devised the detour route & City staff signed off. There are flaws in this detour and no enforcement assurances. 1 followed trucks this morning – mitigation measures not working. I continue to work on short term solutions and long term at our next PW committee.
— Jason Farr (@JasonFarrHamOnt) June 8, 2021
This will be fixed. Never should have happened and I will be asking staff for a plan preventing trucks cutting through our neighbourhoods at our next Public Works Committee. Mandatory enforcement and proper residential street closures would be a good start. pic.twitter.com/492kuiw7QC
— Jason Farr (@JasonFarrHamOnt) June 8, 2021
The next public works meeting is scheduled for June 14.
One resident who contacted Farr through social media said that the transport drivers were getting stuck on Mary Street.
So @JasonFarrHamOnt @cityofhamilton is there a plan for where these trucks are going? There have been 10 come up Mary St so far this morning and they are now stuck on the street. #hamont https://t.co/uFpcWWqiJy pic.twitter.com/jUWLySFWVU
— Ian Fox (@whytock79) June 7, 2021
The rail construction, which is expected to be finished by the end of this week, has affected the entry points to a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Hamilton Health Sciences hospital campus at 293 Wellington St. N.; the city has provided alternative routes for anyone with an appointment.
WELLINGTON St N (Burlington-Barton) is closed for CN Rail track maintenance for approx 5 days starting today.
Residents looking to access the @HamHealthSci Vaccine Clinic at 293 Wellington should follow Victoria Ave N to Copeland Ave or Birge St. https://t.co/VGSygitxhR #HamOnt pic.twitter.com/oaiDJ0dunO
— City of Hamilton (@cityofhamilton) June 7, 2021
Inner-city Hamilton residents have raised concerns about the effects of industrial trucks on the community for several years, citing noise and pollution issues. The city also has a truck route network that is intended to keep industrial trucks to major roads.
(Photo via Twitter/@whytock79.)
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