Winnipeg councillor pushes for truck bans, calls them “unsightly”

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WINNIPEG, Man. — The Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA) was left unimpressed after a city councillor proposed moving trucks off main thoroughfares without suggesting any reasonable solutions for their relocation.

Winnipeg city councillor Dan Vandal wants to see trucks vanish from a number of roads, claiming they are unsightly.

“We have to progress as a city, does anyone other than the trucking association like semi-trailers at Portage and Main?” Vandal said. “It’s a no-brainer, we have semi-trailers that go down Provencher over the bridge, and then meander onto Portage Avenue. It’s time to get rid of the tractor-trailers from Portage and Main and Provencher Boulevard.”

Manitoba Trucking Association general manager Terry Shaw was surprised to hear yet another call for a truck ban on Provencher and other roads.

“To hear that Councillor Vandal is making comments on an increased ban is even more surprising and frankly, very disappointing,” Shaw said.

“The Manitoba Trucking Association is a solutions-based organization. Our preference is to work in harmony with our elected leaders and other stakeholders towards a mutually agreeable result.”

“We have heard loudly, clearly and regularly that Councillor Vandal doesn’t want trucks on certain vital traffic corridors in Winnipeg, such as Provencher, and now possibly Portage Avenue. Unfortunately, what is noticeably lacking from those statements are any suggestions on reasonable alternative routes,” Shaw added.

MTA president Norm Blagden explains that routes are based on a number of detailed factors.

“Truck traffic naturally gravitates towards the most efficient routes. The questions trucking companies, and the customers they serve, concern themselves with are: Is the route direct? Is it cost effective? Is it safe?” Blagden said.

“If trucking companies were provided with alternative routes to Provencher and Portage that better address those basic business needs, then the industry wouldn’t be as reliant on them. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case currently,” said Blagden.

Shaw noted that it isn’t just the trucking industry that would be affected by Vandal’s proposal, but the impact would stretch beyond a number of key industries.

“The trucking industry employs about 20,000 Manitobans, and it is a critical service provider to other key Winnipeg industries such as construction, manufacturing and the retail trade. We question how a key to Winnipeg seeing ‘progress as a city’ includes the arbitrary discrimination of such a large segment of Winnipeg’s population and industry,” Shaw said.

If the ban is made official, the MTA projects a financial burden to the city’s industries at an approximate cost of $600,000 annually.

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  • Whatever his family eats, it came by Truck! Whenever he gets dressed, it came by Truck! What he drives came by Truck! Where he lives, bricks and mortar came by Truck!
    Perhaps he thinks Star Trek may play a vital future role….beam me up Scotty.

  • Lets just stop delivering EVERYTHING to Winnipeg and blame this moron! When people realize they have to go out of town for groceries, this guy will get TWO votes next election. His own and MAYBE his wife’s.

  • As was mentioned already, cut out the trucks and see how long he survives before wishing the ‘trucks’ were there to bring his food, supplies and whatever. What did this guy hit his head on when he got up that morning?

  • Another idiot politician another idiot statement.Trucks are the backbone of this nation and the Drivers give a lot to make sure that the freight is always where it needs to be and on time. Not only the Post Office delivers reguardless of the weather so do Trucks and there drivers.

  • Helen Clark former prime minister of New Zealand had this same rediculous idea, but at least she proposed a rediculous solution to go with it, something that politicians specialize in (stupidity) well how can they be expected to make realistic decisions when they live in a fantasy world at our expense, living high on the hog lavish spending and tax breaks like you wouldn’t believe, for instance only 66% of the income is taxable, anyway back to the point. Helen Clarks proposal was to use trains to deliver everything, hmmm don’t know if that would have worked, it’s one of the reasons she was ousted by a huge landslide victiry for John Key in 2009. Truck drivers don’t know the power they have, if every driver in just Canada would unite and take a week off, the politicians and well everyone who is alive would be begging us to go back to work, wouldnt that put us in the real drivers seat! we could then have a registered drivers association, negotiate better wages and working conditions, and we wouldnt need the help of anyone, Fort Saskatchewan is another one of these places where a driver has to park in the only fuel stop in town, petro pass and the take a taxi to eat somewhere, bloddy rediculous, i say just refuse to make deliveries to Fort Saskatchewan and let the people put the pressure on the idiot politicians, to get a grip. i for one am completely sick of this mentality it has to go we need to be heard once and for all, unite brothers and sisters and show these people how important we really are.

  • What a sad day for Winnipeg to have people like this sitting on city council. Considering they want to make Winnipeg the trucking hub of Canada with CentrePort and reap the rewards of tax dollars off the backs of these unsightly trucks.
    Maybe Mr Vandal should have stayed with his boxing carrier. I think he took to many shots to the head.

  • “Unsightly” Not my truck.He must be thinking of his BMW.The one that has no signal lights.What does he expect us to do,park on the ring road and hike his groceries in on our backs.Give your head a shake Mr. Vandal and will somebody call for a recount!

  • I think the current statistics are 20% of the Canadian population are Class 1 license holders…..I think a politician should think twice before alienating 1/5 of his voter base…..

  • Great that is all we need is some idiot that thinks his shit is not been on a truck or his life would be better if trucks vanished from his sight. So lets help him out we stop on the out side at Headingly and have him haul every thing in with his fancy car or his sporty pickup’ that would be like one guy in alberta that cannot get a truck to bring any freight or supplies to him only couriers will haul to him and large stuff costs him extra cause he hates trucks

  • The only “no-brainer” in this story is Vandal himself.This idea of his clearly indicates the guy has no concept of how goods & services are provided to the public to make life easier for all of us.I’m a fuel hauler…how does Mr.Vandal suppose the numerous gas stations along Portage Avenue are going to be able to provide fuel to their customers? Or how about the supermarkets and the myriad of other retailers along those routes? How will they keep their shelves stocked so people in those areas can eat? This motion of his would be funny if it wasn’t so stupid and short-sighted…politicians like Vandal (and other liberals/socialists) are the reason why Winnipeg and Manitoba are the laughing stock of Western Canada in terms of economic development.