No easy solution to delivery trucks parking in bike lanes

One week after Canada’s biggest postal delivery service vowed to crack down on employees parking illegally in bike lanes, Canada Post delivery vehicles continue to break the rules of the road.

One employee says parking on the job has become more daunting and finding spots to park is almost impossible, especially in the downtown core.

“It’s really challenging, you have to follow the rules of the road first of all and you’re not allowed to park in bike lanes, and there’s pretty much bike lanes everywhere,” said the employee who didn’t want to be identified.

In areas where parking is scarce, these employees are sometimes expected to park several blocks away, making the delivery that much more challenging.

“You’re carrying things, you’re carrying heavy boxes, and something has to be done about that,” she said. “If we can’t deliver safe to a store because of a parking situation, we can’t deliver and that’s a major problem.”

CityNews cameras drove throughout the downtown core Tuesday afternoon, and found dozens of delivery trucks, not just Canada Post, parked illegally. Among them, were UPS vehicles and other unmarked vehicles blocking traffic. The city says these vehicles are by far the biggest parking offenders in Toronto.

Last year saw over 2.2 million tickets issued to vehicles on Toronto’s roads.

 

So far this year, the Parking Enforcement Unit alone has handed out 1.16 million tickets.

But there are some challenges that come with enforcing.

According to the city, getting a tow truck that can remove bigger vehicles downtown in a timely fashion is difficult.

Canada Post says its delivery agents face parking challenges every day, and the company is working alongside the city and others to find long-term solutions to address the issue.

“Our employees are expected to follow the traffic laws when serving customers, which includes no-stopping zones,” a Canada Post spokesperson said in an email statement. “We talk to our employees regularly about safety. If there is an issue, customers should contact us so that we can investigate and address it.”

UPS says it is currently working on developing a range of solutions that address parking challenges in cities like Toronto.

“UPS continues to work diligently with the City of Toronto as well as stakeholder groups in urban areas to find parking solutions that comply with the law and allow our drivers to deliver to residents and businesses across the city. This is a priority for us and the Canadian Couriers and Logistics Association (CCLA),” said a spokesperson in an email statement.

“One of the CCLA’s proposed solutions with municipalities is establishing additional Courier Parking Zones, which are strategically located areas in the city where delivery vehicles would have exclusive access to park in order to continue completing deliveries on a timely basis.”

The postal service company says another easy solution for Canadians is to have packages shipped or dropped off at UPS Access Point locations, instead of being delivered straight to someone’s home.