Mayoral candidate John Tory is vowing to crack down on delivery truck drivers that block traffic during rush hour and require that construction crews complete roadwork under the cover of darkness in an attempt to find gridlock.

Tory unveiled the ideas during a press conference at the intersection of Adelaide and Widmer streets Thursday morning, saying that residents are sick and tired of city hall’s inaction on gridlock.

“I just think people are fed up with the fact that it seems city hall is insensitive to the needs of drivers and by that I include drivers of cars, trucks and transit vehicles,” Tory told reporters. “We need better management of these issues and a better attitude that is more sensitive to the needs of people trying to get around the city. We have to stop making statements of good intention and start acting so we can get this city moving again.”

The city introduced beefed up parking enforcement rules in January that doubled the fine that can be given to drivers that park illegally on city streets during rush hour, but Tory said fines don’t go far enough.

“A couple of tow trucks used a few times and I think some of these companies, including Canada Post and the couriers, will get the message real quick,” he said. “I would even tow away a Brinks truck. I think if you tow away a truck full of money people will get the message; we can’t park trucks of this kind on major arteries during rush hour. Period. It is so simple I don’t know why it hasn’t been done until now.

In addition to implementing a “zero-tolerance policy” on delivery trucks idling on city streets during rush hour, Tory said the city should also look at creating specific parking spots for delivery trucks on side streets near major arteries and transferring parking traffic enforcement officers from other parts of the city to the downtown core to beef up enforcement during rush hour.

City must look at making road work 24/7

As for the potential for nighttime road work, Tory said it is something he would “take a really serious look at” if elected in October, noting the frustrations many residents have felt with long term construction along Lake Shore Boulevard this summer.

“I have heard the frustration as I have went around the city of people who see these projects, particularly along the Gardiner and the Lake Shore, and go there on a Saturday morning and see nobody there,” he said. “I think it is a time that we adopt the practice that most cities do and to a much greater extent say that we are in the business of doing these road repairs on a 24/7 basis so we can get them done faster and reduce congestion.”

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