Pressure builds for Port of Vancouver to address truck traffic in East Vancouver

Pressure is building on the Port of Vancouver to do something about the flow of large container trucks through residential neighbourhoods.

Getting a bit of peace as a young mother is hard enough at the best of times.

But with truck after truck rolling toward the Port of Vancouver outside Michelle Brown-Colistro’s apartment on Dundas Street in East Vancouver, she’s had enough.

“They shake the floors of our house,” an exasperated Brown-Colistro told CTV News on Thursday. “They shake the windows. We can’t sleep in in the mornings. You can’t concentrate, the kids wake up from naps.”

Brown-Colistro has taken action, rallying neighbours and pushing for change.

As of Thursday afternoon, her online petition had nearly 900 signatures.

It calls for the re-opening of the port’s Clark Drive truck entrance, although at this point any effort to mitigate the issue would be welcome.

“I have a hard time staying at home during the day,” Brown-Colistro said. “I have to take the kids out. I keep the windows closed all the time, year-round, with a lot of air purifiers running. I’m really concerned about the diesel exhaust.”

The Clark Drive entrance has been closed on and off since 2011 in an effort to reduce congestion, and it has meant diverting traffic into more residential areas.

Lisa Dominato, a Vancouver city councillor, has met with Brown-Colistro and has discussed resident concerns with port representatives.

And on Wednesday, her motion calling on the port to make changes passed unanimously.

The city has no jurisdiction over the port, but Dominato is hopeful the port’s leadership will listen and act.

“I think there is opportunity for change here,” Dominato told CTV News. “It may be a partial re-opening of the Clark Drive overpass. Maybe it’s a full re-opening…I’m trying to be optimistic that the port wants to play ball.”

The port declined a request from CTV News for an interview, but said in a statement that early monitoring it has conducted independently and through a third party indicates that trucks make up a minority of commercial traffic on Dundas Street. It also indicated it would “continue to engage with the City of Vancouver and concerned residents to better understand the issue.”

It did however downplay the suggestion the Clark Drive entrance could re-open, re-emphasizing concerns over previous congestion issues.

In the meantime, Brown-Colistro and families like hers are left to wait – and listen – as the trucks continue to roll by.