OTA has actively urged over the last two years for the expansion of truck parking in Ontario. In Northern Ontario, OTA primarily pursued this effort through the Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Study (NOMTS).

Truck parking was identified in the study as a priority area for the government. While some of these efforts will be longer-term in scope, the government will begin in Kenora on Highway 17. This will include parking expansion as well as improvements to the layout, including additional lighting and an entrance to the west.

MTO is also looking at several other locations in Northern Ontario where facilities can be winterized and operated year-round, as well as adding additional parking where possible.

In response to OTA’s request, MTO will be launching a series of studies relating to truck parking in southern Ontario. These studies will be used to highlight current gaps and will also look at existing facilities and the ability to expand parking at each site.

MTO will also research systems that can notify drivers in real time how many parking spots are available at upcoming rest stops. While this will be a longer-term project, these types of systems are already operating in the U.S. OTA is encouraged MTO is looking at this technology.

OTA will update members as these projects continue. In the meantime, if you’d like to provide OTA with input on trucking parking, including where current gaps exist, please send your comments to operations&safety@ontruck.org