The City of Kamloops, B.C., has authorized a truck route pilot program that will encompass the removal of the Lansdowne Street and Seymour Street truck route designations from Nov. 15 to May 15, 2025. 

The six-month pilot project will allow city staff to gain insight into the impacts of the possible removal of truck route designations in the downtown core, according to a news release. The city will also be carrying out a truck route study to assess the large trucks and dangerous goods routes throughout the city.

With the Lansdowne Street truck route closed during construction in 2024, Seymour Street will be added to the closure Nov. 15. Although Seymour Street does not convey most of the trucks downtown, the pilot program will provide a more comprehensive trial over the next six months for future consideration of important transportation decisions.

Trucks are permitted to travel along non-truck routes as long as they use the closest and most direct route to the trip’s destination upon entering or leaving the truck route. However, there are some places in Kamloops where vehicles weighing greater than 10,900 kg are prohibited. 

Public service vehicles, including municipal, transit, and school buses, are exempt from restricted truck routes limiting access to vehicles over a licensed GVW of 10,900 kg.

According to the city, most large articulated trucks drive on Lansdowne Street and amount to approximately 150 articulated trucks per weekday, with the other 190 being single-unit vehicles for a total of 340 trucks per weekday. The total daily traffic along Lansdowne Street on a weekday is approximately 13,500 vehicles based on traffic counts conducted in February 2024.

The total number of trucks along Seymour Street is less than half of Lansdowne Street, with 150 trucks per weekday.