Town council wants trucks out of Bolton core

caledoncitizen.com
July 20, 2015
By Bill Rea

Caledon council has made it clear it wants heavy trucks out of the Bolton core once the Bolton Arterial Road (BAR) is open.

Council unanimously passed the motion from Councillor Annette Groves last Tuesday calling on Peel Region to designate Regional Road 50, between Mayfield Road and the roundabout intersection with Emil Kolb Parkway north of the village, and King Street, between Coleraine Drive and Albion-Vaughan Road, a no heavy truck route. This would take effect when the BAR is open, and that’s anticipated sometime next month. Trucks making local deliveries would be exempt.

The motion noted providing a bypass around the village core was the reason the BAR was constructed in the first place. It also pointed out the volume of truck traffic has been increasing, and there have been incidents involving heavy trucks at the intersection with King and Queen Streets in the valley.

The motion also called for alternate truck routes to be considered as part of the ongoing Bolton Transportation Master Plan.

Groves observed there have been at least three serious incidents in the core over the last couple of years. The latest, still under investigation, was June 17, in which 12 vehicles were involved.

Although the bypass has been discussed for years, Groves thought this was the time for her motion.
“I thought it was very time sensitive that we bring this matter forward,” she remarked, adding there have been many concerns expressed from the public. She also said Caledon OPP and Caledon Fire and Emergency Services are both in support of the move.

Public Works Director David Loveridge said he had been in contact with Peel’s Commissioner of Public Works Dan Labrecque and he agrees the trucks should be out of the core once the BAR is open. He added Labrecque had stressed that was the reason for building it.