Regional Council to consider a transport truck ban in downtown Ayr

Relief may be coming for beleaguered residents of downtown Ayr, fed-up with increasing transport truck traffic.

Waterloo Regional Council will consider a motion at its meeting next week that would effectively ban the trucks from the village’s downtown.

Last fall, North Dumfries Council passed a resolution to declare Northumberland Street a “truck-free zone” from Cedar Creek Road north of the village to Stanley Street and running east and west through the downtown.

The issue is the design of the north and south routes.

Vehicles entering the downtown on Northumberland have to make a sharp left turn onto Stanley then a quick right on Swan Street to continue south. There is on-street parking on Northumberland just before Stanley, as well as a school crossing in the area. Residents worry a major incident is just waiting to happen.

North Dumfries Mayor Sue Foxton spoke to The Mike Farwell Show about the issue. She said it’s frustrating truckers choose to take the route through the village considering Trussler Road is right there.

“These trucks are coming up Cedar Creek (from the 401) and turning left onto Northumberland. They can go 300 metres further, turn left onto Trussler and it’s clear sailing all the way down to Simcoe, and, it’s built for trucks.” she said. “The Region spent millions upgrading Trussler road.”

Foxton said the village had to make several repairs to the Cenotaph located at the corner of Northumberland and Stanley Street because trucks have hit it trying to make the awkward turn.

Foxton believes installing signs would be an easy solution but said: “That’s out of the municipalities’ hands.”

“I don’t know why the Region hasn’t. They’re the ones that put the signs up, we’re not allowed to. Otherwise, we would have done this ages ago.”