Side Guards For Montreal’s Heavy Truck Fleet
The City of Montreal will be adding side guards to its heavy truck fleet within the next five years. The goal is to prevent serious and fatal injuries of cyclists and pedestrians who are walking or cycling near heavy trucks. The measure was announced by Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montreal.
"These measures significantly reduce the risk of accident involving cyclists and the gravity of injuries when a collision happens," said Coderre.
A budget of $ 2.5 million is allocated for the installment of the lateral devices on heavy trucks. Moreover, the city is considering installing cameras and motion detectors as well on the trucks.
Coderre’s administration has sent a letter to the federal Minister of Transport, Lisa Raitt, demanding a law that would compel all heavy trucks passing through Montreal to have side guards. However, the federal government does not agree with Coderre’s policy and believes that it is not necessary for all heavy trucks to have this safety device.
According to the mayor of Montreal, most heavy trucks are owned by private companies and would like the provincial government to act upon this measure as well but the Minister of Transport, Robert Poëti, says it is still premature to determine whether all heavy trucks should be obligated to have side guards.
For now, it doesn’t seem a priority for the federal government nor for the provincial government to take action on this measure but it will have a potential effect on fleet managers.
Nova Scotia Funds Pilot Project For Fuel-Efficient Vehicles
On September 2, Energy Minister Andrew Younger revealed a new funding project to help municipalities add alternative fuel vehicles into their fleets.
The Municipal Fleet Efficiency project is led by the environmental group the Clean Foundation which will receive $27,314 from the province.
"We are proud to partner with the Clean Foundation on this project which is intended to directly reduce environmental impact and costs to municipalities, and in turn, property taxpayers. Fuel consumption is becoming an increasingly larger issue for municipalities, both from a cost and environmental perspective. This project will help Nova Scotia municipalities integrate clean technology into their fleets," stated Younger.
The pilot project should start this fall with the hopes of influencing other municipalities to use alternative fuel in their vehicles.
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