Trucks are tearing up 186 different Toronto parks and the City says that's okay

After years of complaints about City of Toronto trucks tearing up local parks, officials have released a report that justifies the practice.

The report from the General Manager of Parks and Recreation responds to a City Council request for information about the frequent practice of City-owned waste collection trucks driving on and damaging grass in public parks.

However, while some may have been hoping for a solution to this ongoing issue, the report provides a laundry list of excuses for why City trucks should be entitled to drive on grass and why taxpayers should continue to foot the bill for turf repairs.

The report notes that Solid Waste Management Services removes waste from approximately 1,175 parks using a fleet of just 33 small waste collection vehicles, with most parks allowing for waste removal from paved park paths.

However, it states that, in certain situations, "operators are required to temporarily drive off the paved surfaces to access waste bins and/or to avoid pedestrians and cyclists using the paved paths."

According to the report, 186 of these parks, or 15.8 per cent of the parks served, "require operators to travel outside of paved pathways for waste collection."

Among the reasons cited, the report notes narrow paved pathways, remote bin placement, clustered waste locations with limited path access, and, perhaps most curiously, blaming "high pedestrian and cyclist usage" as a reason trucks are forced to drive on grass.

"It is safer for operators to drive the vehicle partially or fully on adjacent soft
ground, when conditions allow," the report states.

Now, imagine, if you will, how much mileage a driver would get with police stating that they drove across lawns to avoid missing a green light, or sped through the shoulder of the 401 amid gridlock. Probably not much.

Not only does the report seem to condone trucks driving on park grass, it also provides cost justifications, explaining that "estimated cost from the Parks and Recreation budget for a minor repair is approximately $500, for a medium repair approximately $1000, and for a large repair approximately $2500 or more."

Despite the report seeming to brush off concerns about trucks tearing up grass in parks, it states that "Solid Waste Management Services and Parks and Recreation continue to work together on new park designs to minimize or eliminate the need for waste collection vehicles to travel off paved pathways."

While the practice will likely continue, there are plans in the City's 2025 - 2034 Capital Budget and Plan for Parks and Recreation to look into new park designs that minimize the need for off-road garbage trucks.