Raise the Hammer
If we want to restore the downtown, our new truck route policy must divert through transport trucks out of downtown streets and onto our ring highway system.
By Jason Leach
Published November 26, 2008
The city of Hamilton is finally undertaking a Truck Route Master Plan study. Those of you who live downtown and in our urban, lower city neighbourhoods know firsthand how damaging all the high-speed truck traffic is to our quality of life and children safety.
Hamilton's power-brokers went out of their way during Red Hill/Linc debates to point out that these highways would take trucks off city street. As expected, now that those highways are complete, the very same power-brokers are lobbying the city to maintain their inner city maze of truck routes along Cannon, Wilson, York, Queen, Dundurn, Main and King Streets.
It's time for residents and local businesses to say enough is enough!
I've followed some of the trucks that pass by my place at Strathcona and York and am amazed to see them heading all way to the Burlington St. corridor, some as far as Woodward. A great highway network now exists for these trucks, yet they still want to rumble past our parks, schools and front doors.
Please follow the link and let your voice be heard. This is a major decision affecting the quality of life of our urban neighbourhoods. I've never sat in a bustling downtown or urban shopping district anywhere in the world with transport trucks flying past at 60km an hour.
This is an important step to taking back downtown Hamilton for business, commerce and people.
By Capitalist (anonymous) | Posted November 27, 2008 at 12:01:48
Jason,
One of the problems is that Hamilton's Bayfront Industrial Park comes very close to downtown and central neighborhoods so it is much shorter distance for trucks to travel down our one-way street system in the core than to go around and take the Red Hill. Perhaps we should think about building the Perimiter Road?
By elle (anonymous) | Posted January 06, 2009 at 11:25:57
I am glad I stumbled across this blog page. Truck drivers seem to have nothing better to do than play ROAD GAMES with smaller and more vulnerable vehicles.
No one likes to drive behind the big behemiths of the road. I have had trucks block me in, one in front of me and one beside me, all the way from one end of the linc to the other. What is up with that?
Trucks should have independant hazard and turning lamps...just a thought.
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