BRAMPTON, Ont. — The Region of Peel is planning for the future of transportation by beginning its Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) update.

The LRTP update is done once every five years and focuses on managing the demand for transportation as the region’s population continues to grow.

According to the statistics the region is working with, Peel’s current population is expected to grow by 26% to 1.97 million in the next 25 years. This means a lot more cars on the road commuting to and from work and clogging up the seven major highways that are in the region, which is comprised of Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon.

“We want to widen roads, but we only have a limited capacity to do that,” explained Peel Region’s manager of transportation system planning, Sabbir Saiyed. “So our focus with the plan is on promoting things like public transit, walking and cycling in the Region of Peel.”

In particular, the region is honing in on two plans for the future of goods movement in Peel: a five-year strategic plan and a long-term plan to support goods movement into 2041.

The Goods Movement Long-term Plan is one that will build on the region’s strengths and expertise in goods movement, Saiyed confirmed.

“There’s a significant growth that is going to happen in the goods movement sector, so we are undertaking overarching transportation plans,” he said. “We are planning for goods movement for the year 2041.”

By then, Saiyed said, research shows that if one person generates two to three truck loads per year, in 2041, this could result in six million truck trips per year in Peel.

Right now, Saiyed and his colleagues are preparing action items to be completed by 2022 as part of the update.

“In the last update in 2012 we had 23 action items and we have delivered on all 23 action items,” he said.

The nine action items slotted for completion between 2017 and 2022 are still in a draft mode, but Saiyed shared that one of the main items was support for long combination vehicles (LCVs) in Peel.

“We want to encourage the use of LCVs,” he said. “We want to ensure that LCVs are promoted in Peel and we want to make sure that we can provide the infrastructure so they can move forward.”

Kathryn Dewar, principal planner of transportation system planning for Peel region added, “We will be looking at what roads we have and if there are specific design constraints or areas that would be good for LCVs. We are making plans for those areas because we see the benefit of making truck trips more efficient.”

Other items on the action plan so far include e-commerce trends, development of an off-peak deliveries program and an education and outreach program regarding goods movements, that shows the public how they should be navigating around trucks safely.

To help with the development of the LRTP update, the Region of Peel is looking for support from its residents, especially in the trucking community.

“We are actively seeking support from the trucking communities including operators and trucking companies. We do want their feedback so the plan meets their needs,” Saiyed said.

To access and participate in the survey, visit: www.surveymonkey.com/r/PeelGM

For more information about the LRTP update, visit the project website at: www.letsmovepeel.ca.