VANCOUVER, B.C. — Truck gates at the Port of Vancouver’s Vanterm, Centerm and Deltaport terminals will be be open longer in the new year, the Vancouver Port Authority (VPA) has announced.

The gates will be open an averate of 20 per cent longer per year over the next five years in an attempt to improve the flow of containers through the port.

“Extending gate hours will not only increase capacity, it will help alleviate congestion at the terminals, which will also speed up transaction times,” said Capt. Gordon Houston, president and CEO of the VPA.

Houston added the change will help alleviate road congestion near the ports.

“Extended hours of operations will also make more efficient use of the region’s road networks, by spreading truck traffic over a longer period, reducing congestion during traditional peak times, while also reducing emissions,” he said.

The change comes on the heels of the release of a special Task Force report on industrial relations at the Port of Vancouver. The Task Force made a series of recommendations to help return labour stability to the port following a lengthy container trucker strike last summer.

The report read: “The implementation of regular extended truck gate hours at container terminals has emerged as the single most effective method for reducing delays for trucks accessing the terminals.”

The Port of Vancouver has also launched a system to monitor waiting times for trucks outside the terminal gates.

“These programs are the first step in a broader initiative to increase the hours of operation throughout the lower mainland ports, including at off-site terminals. The extended gates program and other supply chain initiatives will improve the performance, efficiency and reliability of container movements in the port,” said Houston.