A Toronto city councillor is calling on Metrolinx to immediately launch a safety review after a pedestrian was critically injured in a daytime collision involving an Ontario Line dump truck last week.
The crash happened last Thursday afternoon near Mortimer and Pape avenues in East York and sent a 46-year-old woman to the hospital in serious, life-threatening condition.
In a letter sent to Metrolinx on Sunday, Toronto-Danforth Coun. Paula Fletcher said she’s “saddened and shocked” to learn someone was hit by a Metrolinx sub-contractor’s vehicle, expressing concern that the driver involved in the crash was not following the rules by failing to operate their vehicle along the agreed-upon route.
“I’m outraged that the dump truck was not using the approved ‘haul’ route for Ontario Line construction vehicles when it hit the pedestrian. Specific haul routes were designed to limit travel through dense, residential streets and minimize risks to pedestrians and other road users,” Fletcher charged.
“Now, one of the worst possible incidents has happened, all because Metrolinx’s contractor was not following the designated haul route. This is unacceptable.”
Toronto police could not confirm to CTV News Toronto the company the truck driver worked out for, adding there are no updates to provide at this time.
In a statement provided to CTV News Toronto, Metrolinx said that its “thoughts are with the individual who was injured and their loved ones.”
“An investigation is underway, and we are reviewing internally,” the provincial transportation agency wrote.
“We will continue to work with our partners at the City of Toronto to ensure the safest and most appropriate routes are being used at all times. As this matter is under investigation, we are not able to comment further at this time.”
The east-end councillor is also demanding that Metrolinx review safety requirements at the Pape-Sammon site as the agency has “increased the scope of its work” there and it is now a larger construction zone, she said.
“I’m calling on Metrolinx to work with local residents and schools to immediately review safety requirements based on this expanded construction site and to add more local residents to it’s Community Liaison Committees,” she wrote.
Thirdly, the east-end councillor is calling for an investigation into the rest of its Ontario Line sites due to the overall increased scope of work that creates a much larger construction zone.
“Metrolinx needs to make a public ‘safe haulage’ plan for the transport of soil from its future Gerrard and Carlaw portal, where an estimated 100 dump trucks per day will remove excavated soil from the 4.2 kilometres of subway tunnels to be built between Gerrard and the Don Valley,” Fletcher said.
Residents ‘freaked out and worried,’ says councillor
Speaking to CP24 on Sunday afternoon, the Ward 14 rep said community members, especially parents and children, are especially “freaked out and worried” by what has happened as the Ontario Line work in the community will last for several years.
“Everybody’s very nervous and really upset with Metrolinx that they haven’t followed the rules,” she said.
Fletcher said Metrolinx must “clamp down” on big trucks driving throughout the community and ensure it is building transit safely for both residents and workers.
“I want them to make sure that every truck leaving every site is following the rules that Metrolinx has agreed to on the city streets. Because these are very busy city streets, and this is just one site,” she said.
“Further on down at the Riverdale Plaza, there’s supposed to be 100 truck dump trucks a day leave there, and we have no idea what route they’re taking yet. That’s just wrong.”
Up to 400 dump trucks diverted in Liberty Village
The impacts of Ontario Line construction previously drew the ire from residents in Liberty Village, when Metrolinx proposed having up to 400 dump trucks travel through that community’s main thoroughfare.
Metrolinx revised its plan after area residents, local advocates, and Coun. Ausma Malik banded together.
Instead, it will be using a conveyor belt system along Dufferin Street, moving construction spoil north to south by that means or only move the debris by truck at night.
The Ontario Line is a 15-stop, 15.6-kilometre subway line that will start at Exhibition Place and run to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Don Mills Road. It is slated to open in about six years, in 2031.
