City council has passed a resolution approving a one-ton vehicle weight restriction to the back alleys of St. Laurent Drive and Kramer Place.
The restrictions will run from March 1 to July 31 every year in an attempt to stem the amount of damage that happens at those alley locations.
The alley there is heavily used compared to others in the city because it accesses adjoining parking lots for the nearby apartment buildings. The damage to the alleyway has been a source of mounting frustration for tenants needing to use the road to get to their apartment parking stalls.
Administration has been getting complaints “on a regular basis” about the condition of back alleys there, confirmed Director of Operations Stewart Schafer at council Monday.
According to his memo to council, the alleys were constructed over top of blue clay material that forms a crust when the clay dries.
Once the crust is broken, crews have to wait until it dries, Schafer said.
The problem, said Schafer, are the large trucks that go through the back alleys to pick up garbage.
“When they break through the crust they leave a large ridge and we do not have the ability to fix it until the crust reforms again,” Schafer told council.
The belief is that the weight restriction should prevent more damage from happening, but it’s very much an experiment. Mayor Ian Hamilton commented that the decision to impose a weight restriction was a “help,” not a solution to the problem.
He asked if this restriction would pose an additional cost to the City or to residents. Schafer noted the only concerns were with how the waste contractors pick up garbage.
“We are willing to work with Loraas and other waste management haulers to find a method so they can pick up their garbage,” said Schafer.
Suggestions for solutions include using smaller trucks to pick up the bins or having the property owners or waste haulers develop pickup locations to allow the waste trucks to pick up the garbage without damaging public property.
A third option is to reconstruct the alleys to allow heavy vehicles to access the bins, but the cost is too prohibitive for that option to go ahead. Administration estimated it at $337,500.
Schafer said the plan is to communicate with Loraas and other waste management companies and determine what would be the best method for pickup.
“We’re going to have to sit down with them … to find a solution,” said Schafer.
