星岛日报/为纾缓多市中心区繁忙时间交通挤塞情况，有多市议员建议市府考虑限制货车驶入市中心的时间，并要求市府有关部门研究实施一项为期半年的试验计划之可行性。中区华埠商业促进区主席对落实此构想则有保留。
市议会执行委员会将于下周一(28日)例会，讨论由市议员获加(Michael Walker)提出的动议。获加在动议要求，市府官员研究以试验性贸推出一项为期6个月的计划，逢周一至周五由上午7时至10时及由下午3时至6时期间，禁止送货车辆驶入市中心区。市中心区域就定为北至布尔街(Bloor St.)、东至渣维斯街(Jarvis St.)、西至士巴丹拿道(Spadina Ave.)、南至安大略湖，中区华埠也是在此区域之内。官员完成有关研究后，便向市议会提交一份可行性报告。
获加在其动议指出，多市中心区交通于繁忙时间是严重挤塞，所有大规模送货服务公司均承认，早已将违例泊车或停车的告票罚款，纳入其营运开支。获加表示，市中心交通挤塞原因，很大程度上是因为行车线受阻或遇到其他可受控制的阻塞情况。一辆货车停在一条两行车线的街道上落货，就阻挡了此街交通容量之50%。而抄牌官员对违例停泊货车，只能发出告票，未可解决问题。
伦敦和纽约实施限制收效显著
获加又称，英国伦敦和美国纽约早已对车辆送货时间，实施日间和晚间限制，收效显著。
多伦多中区华埠商业促进区主席陈乐屏昨日表示，在未试行之前，此构想好与坏实在很难说。但他个人认为，这构想出发点是好，但就较为专制，实行时亦会带来一些复杂问题。举例说，在上述限制下，送货车辆只可于日间上午10时后至下午3时前驶入市中心区，此规定等于将所有送货车辆集中于此时段驶来，这也可能引发非繁忙时间交通挤塞。
陈乐屏又指出，不少送货车辆均是从外埠驶来多市，部份更是紧急速递送货，它们抵达多市中心区目的地时间，未必可控制自如；如要配合上述规限，将有一定困难。面对此规限，送货公司可能因此增加收费，又或者不接市中心区送货生意，受影响者最终会是商户。此外，倘若商户安排清晨7时前或晚上6时后送货，商户也要特别安排人手收货，这点也是商户要面对的另一个技术问题。
City urged to limit downtown deliveries
Banning trucks during rush hour would cut gridlock, councillor says
May 23, 2007 04:30 AM
Jim Byers
city hall bureau chief
The days of getting stuck behind a giant, lane-hogging delivery truck on your way to work or home could be a thing of the past if a Toronto politician gets his way.
Councillor Michael Walker is calling on city council’s executive committee to have staff study the idea of banning delivery vehicles in the downtown core from 7 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.
“Those vehicles contribute a lot to gridlock and do a lot of idling, and both of those contribute significantly to smog and to global warming,” said Walker (Ward 22, St. Paul’s). “It’s not a solution on its own but it’s a piece of the puzzle. These trucks are queuing up to get into the garages, but they could do it at night.”
Walker, whose motion is being seconded by Councillor Michael Thompson (Ward 37, Scarborough Centre), wants a six-month trial study in the area bounded by Jarvis St., Lake Ontario, Bloor St. and Spadina Ave.
Walker said businesses would save money by having trucks move more quickly overnight instead of being stuck in traffic, although he conceded labour costs could rise if delivery workers had to toil in the wee hours.
“Absolutely, but if we’re not prepared to make that type of investment in improving the environment we’ve got a problem.”
Toronto Board of Trade spokesperson Glen Stone said the board would welcome the chance to see any studies Walker has done.
But he noted the city already has lost 100,000 jobs in the past 15 years and shouldn’t rush into anything that could be damaging.
“There already are many traffic restrictions on downtown streets and the police do a pretty thorough enforcement job,” he told the Star.
“We remain to be convinced that this is, a) an effective idea and b) a realistic idea, given how very disruptive it’s likely to be for business downtown.”
Councillor Paula Fletcher (Ward 30, Toronto-Danforth) said cars backed up behind delivery vehicles are not an uncommon sight on downtown streets.
“There’s no reason not to look at the idea, both from a traffic and an environmental point of view,” said Fletcher, chair of council’s parks and environment committee.
The motion is to be debated when the executive committee meets Monday.
Walker said he also likes the idea of a congestion tax on cars entering the downtown and says council should consider tolls on city highways – both ideas rejected so far by Mayor David Miller.
