Toronto city council voted to require side guards on all commercial trucks operating under contract to the city. Heavy duty commercial trucks covered by city contracts awarded as of May 2027 must have side guards. The city is already installing side guards on its own heavy duty fleet, with work underway ahead of schedule for city-owned trucks by the end of 2026. Council members linked the measure to preventing deaths and protecting families, and some urged expanding the requirement beyond city contracts. The change is expected to affect about 1,200 commercial vehicles used for city work such as winter maintenance and snow clearing.
"Toronto city council has voted to make side guards mandatory on all commercial trucks operating under contract to the city to protect pedestrians and cyclists. Side guards will be required for heavy duty commercial trucks operating on city contracts awarded as of May 2027. Council approved the motion with a show of hands at its meeting Wednesday."
"Coun. Paula Fletcher, who represents Toronto-Danforth, said the city has begun to install side guards on its own fleet of heavy duty vehicles in the interests of safety. "When you look at the big trucks and you see how easy it is to get pulled under those wheels," Fletcher told council. Last December, council voted to install side guards on all city-owned heavy duty trucks by the end of 2026."
"Coun. Dianne Saxe, who represents University-Rosedale, said wants to see side guards on trucks not under contract to the city too. "Every person who is killed by one of these trucks destroys a family. We have the ability to do more about this than we are doing. We are approving what you propose today, but please don't stop there," Saxe said."
"Coun. Alejandra Bravo, who represents Davenport, said the decision will be welcome in her ward, where there have been preventable deaths by large trucks. "For this community, which cycles at a higher-than-average rate, the loss of life of two young women is too much to bear," Bravo said. "I think we have an opportunity here to make a real life and death difference.""
#truck-safety #side-guards #pedestrian-and-cyclist-protection #toronto-city-council #municipal-fleet-upgrades
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