A pair of incumbent candidates are pitching a strategy that they believe could significantly shorten traffic disruptions caused by major roadwork in London. On Wednesday, Ward 2 candidate Shawn Lewis and Ward 8 candidate Steve Lehman made a joint campaign announcement on Wellington Road next to ongoing roadwork to build the bus rapid transit (BRT) system. “The commitment we are making is about major streets, allowing construction to run until 11 p.m. and also allowing it to extend into Saturdays,” Lewis explained. Both candidates emphasized that the longer construction hours would only be permitted on major roadways. “We’re not intending this to be anywhere near residential neighborhoods at all. We don’t want them to be impacted,” Lehman assured. “We’ve got big city challenges with infrastructure and traffic. We need big city solutions.” A local industry leader says it could significantly shorten the number of days required to complete major projects. “You can actually open (the site) up for 16 hours (each day) and then close it up, or even improve the phasing because a lot more work is going to get done each day. You (could) do a bigger chunk, take off a bigger bite,” explained Ryan Aarts, CEO of J-AAR. Aarts says running two-shifts could also cut down on lost days by still bringing in the second shift even if the first is disrupted by bad weather. “We average a 50-hour workweek right now, but we lose on average 8 to 10 hours a week just because of weather or other conditions.” Lewis acknowledged that the initiative would likely require changes to city hall’s procurement policy, as well as consultation with construction unions. “If we get to work on it right away at City Hall after the election, then I think by 2028 we could at least see this being tried at a couple of projects that summer. Then see how things go, and hopefully expand from there,” he said. “It’s one of our shared (platform) planks in our campaigns,” Lehman said. ”We hear a lot about traffic problems in this city. London has experienced tremendous growth, but with that growth comes infrastructure projects.” Last year’s annual satisfaction survey conducted for city hall found “traffic and road congestion” at 23 per cent and “road maintenance” at 16 per cent among the four most commonly identified “Top of Mind” by Londoners. “Sure, residents will still have to deal with some tie-ups, but less. Anything we can do to get this city moving faster we have to consider,” committed Lehman. “If we can get (roadwork) done faster, that’s less headaches for the residents of the area and less headaches for London commuters,” said Lewis. Also running in Ward 2 are Alexandria Hames, Zachary Ramsey, and Steve Reed. Also running in Ward 8 are Osam Ali and Coralia Tudor. Election Day is Oct. 26.
