Item - 2024.IE18.5

The General Manager, Fleet Services, recommends that:

1. City Council direct the General Manager, Fleet Services, subject to securing a total of $5,675,560 net of Harmonized Sales Tax through the 2025 budget process, to retrofit suitable City-owned commercial vehicles with side guards.

2. City Council direct the General Manager, Fleet Services, to share with relevant City Agencies and Corporations, the best practices learned from retrofitting side guards on City-owned commercial vehicles.

3. City Council direct the General Manager, Fleet Services, in consultation with relevant City Divisions, to report back to City Council in the third quarter of 2025 on the feasibility of requiring existing and new Suppliers who use commercial vehicles to provide contracted City services to have side guards installed on their vehicles.

The purpose of this report is to advise City Council on the feasibility of mandating Lateral Protective Devices (‘side guards’) on all commercial trucks operating within the City of Toronto, including retrofitting the City's fleet. Side guards are protective railings or bars mounted on the sides of large trucks between the axles to prevent individuals from being pulled under a truck’s wheels in the event of a collision.

Research from various sources based in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Netherlands indicate that side guards could reduce cyclist fatalities by approximately 62 percent, pedestrian fatalities by 20 percent, and serious injuries for cyclists by 6 percent. However, there are currently no federal or provincial requirements for vehicles to be fitted with side guards. As the federal government sets national vehicle safety standards, the City of Toronto does not have the jurisdiction or authority to mandate all commercial vehicles operating within the City of Toronto be equipped with side guards.

However, City Council, through Vision Zero 2.0, authorized the implementation of side guards and a comprehensive fleet safety and accountability program for all Solid Waste Management Services vehicles, both in-house and contracted. Currently, thirty (30) units in the City’s fleet are equipped with side guards.

The addition of side guards to Solid Waste Management Services vehicles builds upon new and existing design and technological initiatives aimed at supporting safety. Engineering design changes to advance safety include the use of cabover chassis designs to improve visibility and reduced blind spots, the colouring of heavy-duty vehicles yellow and blue to increase visibility, the provision of convex mirrors for all trucks to widen the driver's field of view, and 360-degree cameras. Additionally, testing technological advancements, such as collision-avoidance sensors, and active driver assist systems provide real-time warnings and enhance driver awareness. The majority of City vehicles are also equipped with telematics devices that provide vehicle intelligence data on driver behaviors to support education and promote greater accountability.

As of 2024, commercial vehicles procured by the Fleet Services have included side guards. Vehicles are expected to be delivered within 18 to 24 months following the placement of an order.

In alignment with the principles of Vision Zero and previous Council direction regarding Solid Waste Management Services vehicles, Fleet Services is recommending retrofitting suitable commercial City of Toronto fleet vehicles with side guards. Vehicles suitable for retrofitting will be assessed using a risk-based approach to prioritize vehicles that are most likely to cause the greatest harm to cyclists and pedestrians in the event of a collision. It is estimated that 219 of 500 heavy-duty vehicles that are suitable for side guards will be retrofitted between December 2024 and December 2025, with all vehicles retrofitted by December 2026.

Fleet Services will also share with relevant City Agencies and Corporations, the best practices learned from retrofitting side guards on City-owned commercial vehicles.

In addition, while Fleet Services does not currently require side guards for contracted services, Fleet Services will consult with relevant City Divisions and explore the feasibility of requiring existing and new Suppliers, who use commercial vehicles to provide contracted City services, to have side guards installed on their vehicles, and will report back to City Council in the third quarter of 2025.

The total potential cost to the City to retrofit approximately 500 heavy-duty (e.g., above 4,500 kgs) fleet trucks and trailers with side guards is estimated at $5,675,560 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($6,413,383 including Harmonized Sales Tax, $5,775,450 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries).

Funding in the amount of $5,675,560 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($6,413,383 including Harmonized Sales Tax, $5,775,450 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries) is included in the 2025 Capital Budget for Fleet Services.