By Rosalind Russell – Driver testing actually conducted by the MTO is on a list of short-, mid- and long-term ideas to make Highways 11 and 17 in the North safer released by Timiskaming-Cochrane New Democratic MPP John Vanthof.
He says more than 100 truck companies recruit, train and test their own drivers.
Even Drive Test, where you get your Class G licence, is a third party contractor.
“If you’re going to drive a commercial vehicle in Ontario, people should be sure that the people that hold that license actually can drive that vehicle,” Vanthof insists, “and one way to ensure that is make sure that they go through an MTO test.”
As for more lanes, he says full four-laning of the highways will take at least 15 years.
In the shorter term, he’s encouraging the Ford government to adopt the 2+1 system of more passing lanes.
“If we have more passing lanes, we’ll make it much safer and then as we get more traffic, maybe more passing lanes can turn into a divided four-lane.”
Vanthof also wants more freight by rail to take commercial traffic off the highways.
Photo: Highway 17 reconstruction is ongoing. A Northern MPP would like to see more passing lanes installed or turn it into a divided four-lane. Photo by Rosalind M Russell
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