pooled fund Projects
In progress
Investigating the Potential for Truck Lanes in Urban Areas - Updated October 2011
| Research Area | Transportation planning, freight movement |
| Responsible Council / Committee | Urban Transportation Council Transportation Planning and Research Standing Committee |
| Related TAC publications | |
| Start Date | June 2011 |
| Expected Completion Date | November 2012 |
| Research Agency | Montufar Group |
| Status | Work is in progress. |
| Project Funding Partners | City of Edmonton; Ministry of Transportation, Ontario; Ville de Montréal; City of Calgary; Metrolinx; Region of Peel; Transport Canada; Translink; City of Ottawa |
| Staff Contact | Katarina Cvetkovic |
Abstract
Trucks are integral to the economy of urban areas and are a necessary component of urban traffic. Large-scale generators of truck traffic that once operated on the fringes of communities, such as intermodal terminals and distribution centres, now often fall inside the boundaries of expanding urbanized areas.
Congestion, which is associated with increased greenhouse gas emissions, is increasing on urban roads. Resulting delays experienced by truckers, as well as the unpredictability of delays, reduce the efficiency of goods movement. At the same time, the fluidity of the traffic stream is impacted by trucks due to their physical size, performance characteristics and nature of their work (e.g. stopping to deliver and pick‑up goods).
Restricting the use of a lane on a roadway to particular vehicles is a tool that is available to manage traffic on the urban road network. A truck lane is a lane with restrictions on eligible users that includes trucks and that provides improved efficiency for truck transportation. In Canada, there are high occupancy vehicle lanes and bus lanes but no truck lanes at this time.
Internationally, truck lanes are used on a limited basis and offer examples where:
- the stability of traffic flow on freeways is improved by adding a truck lane to freeway entrance ramps
- traffic flow through urban areas in improved where arterials include no-car lanes
- safety is improved because the performance differential of vehicles in the traffic stream is reduced where truck lanes exist
- access to a large‑scale truck traffic generators is improved.
Separating truck traffic from other traffic may improve the efficiency of goods movement by truck in an urban area, and at the same time improve the flow of other vehicles and provide benefits to the community at large. Truck lanes may be a useful tool for planners working to optimize the use of existing rights‑of‑way in Canada’s urban areas.
The objective of this project is to promote consideration of truck lanes, where appropriate in Canada’s urban areas, for handling truck traffic. The focus is on trucks that are delivering or picking‑up goods in the area, rather than trucks travelling through the area.
The project will produce a resource document on the potential for truck lanes to contribute to optimizing the use of existing rights of way. It will identify and evaluate best practices for promoting, planning designing and operating truck lanes, ensuring that the information is appropriate in the context of Canadian urban areas. It will supply planners and other stakeholders with the information needed to consider, as appropriate, truck lanes a tool for efficient sharing of facilities by all users.
Although the use of truck lanes is also linked to roadway design and traffic engineering, the project will not focus on structural or geometric design or technical aspects of their physical implementation.