Canada Post delivery trucks will stop using Toronto bike lanes as parking spaces
Crown corporation's statement follows social media campaign to keep routes clear
In news that no doubt rings like music to the ears of many big-city Canadian riders—not just those in Toronto—Canada Post has announced that its delivery trucks, often an unwelcome presence in local bike lanes, will stop using the cycling infrastructure of Canada’s largest city as a place to park.
Canada Post, of course, isn’t the only offender when it comes to the hulking, double-axled obstacle that delivery trucks represent for Toronto riders—but it’s up there.
The sight of delivery trucks sitting in bike lanes as they make deliveries, forcing riders to manoeuvre around them, has been such a nuisance in Toronto that one bike-mounted Toronto Police parking enforcement officer, Kyle Ashley, has earned something of a hero’s status for his efforts in countering the problem. Though his social campaigning has focused on all vehicles stopped in bike lanes, large delivery trucks, notably, have featured in more than a few Twitter posts.
Canada Post has vowed that its fleet will no longer be among them.
“Canada Post understands the concerns raised regarding safety and bike lanes in Toronto,” the crown corporation announced in a prepared statement. “As a result, we are instructing our employees to not park in bike lanes in the City of Toronto. For pickups or deliveries, they are expected to find a safe location to park their vehicle.”
What if a safe location isn’t available? In that case, “our employees are expected to avoid the stop, continue on their route and return any undelivered items to the depot,” Canada Post said.
Though the speed of Canada Post deliveries will no doubt be affected to a certain extent, CityNews reported, it’s part of a broader, arguably more important mandate to keep the flow of traffic clear and obstructed in Toronto, especially for riders. Addressing Canada Post’s announcement, Toronto mayor John Tory said, “I have made no secret of my desire to get Toronto moving. Traffic—bikes, transit vehicles, delivery trucks and cars—can’t move if lanes are blocked.”
“This decision will help make the commute safer for cyclists,” Tory added.
