Infrastructure gap needs to be closed: OTA chief

TORONTO, Ont. Access to long term infrastructure funding is critical, in addition to the need to combat the more immediate problem of highway and road congestion in the GTA, OTA President David Bradley said in a speech to delegates of the Greater Toronto Transportation Conference.

“But it takes time to build new roads and highways and besides, you can’t pave over everything,” he added. “(In the meantime) we need to make better use of the existing infrastructure by convincing more shippers and consignees to have goods shipped during off peak times.”

Bradley said the recent proposal, by Toronto city councilor Michael Walker, to ban trucks from the downtown core during rush hours “ignores the fact that shippers and consignees determine when goods are picked up or dropped off, not the carrier.”

Existing highway infrastructure might be better utilized if more productive trucks were allowed during off peak times, said Bradley.