Michael Lewis
Special to Ontario Construction News
Toronto city council says provincial transit agency Metrolinx must develop a heavy truck safety plan after a pedestrian suffered a life altering injury in a daytime collision in early February involving a dump truck working on the Ontario Line construction site.
Council in a vote last week approved a motion by Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth Coun. Paula Fletcher requiring the provincial transit agency to submit the comprehensive plan by May 12 to the satisfaction of Transportation Services. The plan, to be shared publicly by Metrolinx, is to include enforcement measures, monitoring protocols, and a mechanism for residents to report concerns.
Council also directed Transportation Services to include the requirement for the plan as a permit condition in transportation permits issued to Metrolinx Ontario Line contractors in Ward 14, Ward 15 and other affected wards.
The February 6 incident happened near Mortimer and Pape avenues in East York and sent a 46-year-old woman to hospital in life-threatening condition. In a letter to Metrolinx, Coun. Fletcher said she is “saddened and shocked” to learn someone was hit by a Metrolinx sub-contractor’s vehicle, expressing concern that the driver involved in the crash failed to operate their vehicle within traffic rules and along the agreed-upon haulage route.
The driver of the truck was charged with careless driving causing bodily harm and Metrolinx said the subcontractor involved in the accident has been permanently removed from the 15.6-kilometre Toronto rapid transit line project.
Coun. Fletcher said Metrolinx needs a public safe haulage plan for the transport of soil from its future Gerrard Street and Carlaw Avenue portal, where an estimated 100 dump trucks per day will remove excavated soil from the 4.2 kilometres of subway tunnels to be built between Gerrard and the Don Valley.
City staff say they were made aware of another incident, on February 27, involving a different subcontractor making the same right turn from Pape Avenue onto Mortimer Avenue, and immediately pressed Metrolinx for information on how the hauling of material away from the site was being managed safely.
Metrolinx said a safety team conducted an on-site assessment over the March 1 weekend and initiated measures including advanced advisory signage on Pape, south of Mortimer and Torrens Avenue, warning truck operators of the no heavy truck restriction on these roads.
Metrolinx deployed its own traffic control persons at the Pape and Mortimer intersection during hours when OL truck traffic will be occurring to ensure no right turns are made by trucks onto Mortimer from the Pape construction sites.
In addition to the Metrolinx traffic control persons, the city also deployed a temporary traffic agent who will be replaced by a crossing guard alongside the Metrolinx traffic control person during the morning and afternoon school hours.
City staff has also requested that Metrolinx use GPS tracking on heavy trucks to ensure they are not deviating from haul routes.
