Transportation Speaker Series: Impacts of Off-Peak Deliveries in the Toronto Area Before and During the Pandemic

Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021    

12:00 PM (Pacific)

Virtual Event via Zoom

Click here to access the Presentation slides

On March 19, 2020, in response to COVID-19, the Ontario Government announced the Municipal Emergency Act 2020 which relaxed noise by-laws across Ontario to permit delivery of goods in the evening and night-time, between 7PM and 7AM, which we term off-peak deliveries (OPD), across Ontario.  OPD have potential to improve carrier efficiency, reduce traffic congestion during daytime periods, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Concerns that have been raised about OPD include noise associated with deliveries in the off-peak hours and the potential for increased truck collisions rates and severity. This presentation describes a research project that investigates these impacts during the period of the pandemic, with an analysis of community noise complaints and a community noise survey conducted in the summer of 2021.

Matthew Roorda is a Professor of Civil Engineering, has been faculty at the University of Toronto since 2005, and has worked in the transportation engineering profession since 1998. He is the Canada Research Chair in Freight Transportation and Logistics and is the founding chair of the Smart Freight Centre, a multi-university research centre. Dr. Roorda’s research interests include urban freight transportation, freight planning and operations, freight and passenger travel survey methods, city logistics, agent-based simulation, parking and curbside management, emissions analysis, activity-based travel demand modelling, and firm behaviour.