Port of Vancouver working on goods movement task force recommendations

Port of Vancouver working on goods movement task force recommendations    Officials at the Vancouver Port Authority announced their support of a report released Monday by a task force on transportation and industrial relations issues related to the movement of containers at British Columbia’s ports.
   Port officials said Vancouver is already underway with implementing a number of the operational recommendations, including a pilot program for extending truck gate operating hours and a monitoring program of truck waiting times outside of terminal gates.
   Effective Wednesday, the VPA will implement a container truck-monitoring program to measure container truck wait times on port roadways.
   'Extended hours will increase capacity and efficiency by reducing congestion at terminals and on the region’s roads, making better use of existing transportation infrastructure, reducing air emissions and enabling truckers to move a greater number of containers in a given shift,” said Jim Cox, the port’s vice president responsible for infrastructure development, in a statement.
   The port also supports the recommended establishment of a mandatory reservations system, noting that lack of participation in the current voluntary system is responsible for a number of congestion-related problems. The port also cautioned against a recommendation to regulate truck rates for fear it would strip away the benefits of a competitive market, but did say it may be necessary in the short-term to 'bring stability to the industry until a sustainable market-based solution is possible.'