Signs meant for safety irk area residents

Signs meant for safety irk area residents. Mulock Avenue Residents' Association said they've had ongoing issues with Topper Linens involving their trucks that block the sidewalk. The company has posted signs telling residents to walk on the other sidewalk. The city says the placement of the signs on telephone poles is illegal and is currently investigating. Courtesy/SARAH VEALE

The signs were posted by Topper Linen and Uniform Service on Mulock Avenue near Junction Road, after several residents complained their trucks were blocking the sidewalk when parked at the loading docks.

"It's the norm for the trucks to be blocking the sidewalk completely," said Sarah Veale, chair for the Mulock Avenue Residents' Association. Veale said she noticed the signs about a month ago, and feels it's unrealistic to put the onus on residents.

"Because (the trucks are) so big, they block the sight line so you don't even know if it's safe to cross," she said, adding there is no crosswalk at that spot.

City staff said they were previously unaware of the signs; trucks parked over a sidewalk are considered a parking infraction enforced by police traffic officers.

"It wasn't sanctioned by us," said Bruce Clayton, manager of traffic operations. "We're going to be looking into it a bit more but at this time this is all we know."

Clayton said he spoke with Topper president Tim Topornicki and told him it was illegal to place signs on the city's telephone poles. But for the moment, the city is not ordering them down, pending investigation by bylaw enforcement staff.

Mulock Avenue is in the middle of a mixed zoning area of residential and industrial space, which includes two-and-a-half blocks of homes with around 150 residents and several commercial buildings. A Canadian-owned family business, Topper is a 48,000 square-foot operation, with over 100 staff members and 22 service vehicles. Their loading docks, located at the foot of Mulock Avenue and Junction Road, face a set of townhouses.

Topornicki said he put up the signs at his own expense for the residents' benefit, noting that the road is so close to their property line, he wonders how else he is supposed to load his trucks. He says he's received several tickets and put the signs up as a result of a meeting he had with police parking enforcement officers.

"We're trying to live in harmony with our neighbours as much as we can," he said. "Commercial laundry is a necessary evil in the city."

Topornicki says he does other things to help residents: he cleans the streets; he ploughs the snow and salts the sidewalks for all the houses near him. He says he likes the Junction and doesn't want to leave, but may not have much choice if the city keeps making it difficult for him. Veale said many people, including herself have complained to the company about the trucks but she feels that she wasn't listened to or acknowledged.

"In a mixed-use community there is a need for companies and residents to co-exist - but it seems the residents are the ones who do the most compromising."

Ward 11 Councillor Frances Nunziata (York South-Weston) said she hadn't been approached by residents about the concerns regarding trucks and signs, although she noted she has worked with those residents on other issues they have been facing.