Toronto greenlights pilot project to replace delivery trucks with e-bikes in the Annex

The City of Toronto and a package delivery company have launched a joint pilot project to bring small pick-up locations and delivery bikes to the city’s downtown.

A 40-foot shipping container has been setup in a Toronto Parking Authority lot in the Spadina Avenue and Bloor Street area. It will act as a package delivery hub and a place for people to pick-up and drop-off parcels.

“Instead of the big trucks going up and down all the streets, you’re going to have bikes that are doing it,” Toronto Mayor John Tory explained at a Monday press conference.

Tory said the transportation sector accounts for around 36 per cent of emissions in Toronto.

Purolator, the company leading the initiative, said it was part of a move to replace gas-powered delivery trucks with a decentralized model of electric cargo bikes for local deliveries.

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“Purolator’s Urban Quick Stop is our innovative approach to solving the many challenges of delivering in a busy urban environment like Toronto,” said John Ferguson, president and CEO of Purolator, in a statement.

A second hub is scheduled to launch in September with another shipping container to be set-up, this time on Saint George Street between between Harbord and College streets.

The container will replace an area of on-street parking, Purolator said.

The University of Toronto will analyze the greenhouse gas and traffic impacts of replacing delivery vehicles with bikes on campus.

The new delivery pilots are part of the City of Toronto’s goods movement strategy. The plan aims to improve reliability of delivery and limit negative impacts including emissions and congestion.