(The intersection at Fernbank Road and Stittsville Main Street with a sign indicating No Trucks allowed on Fernbank Road. Heavy trucks are directed to continue along Stittsville Main Street/Huntley Road to turn onto Fallowfield Road to access Fernbank. Photo: Stittsville Central)
Fernbank Road is classified as a No Truck route and south-end Stittsville residents are frustrated by the number of large trucks rumbling through their community. The problem certainly increased when CFT Storage arrived on Fernbank Road where Stephen’s Auto Wreckers was once located. Residents are voicing their concerns regarding heavy trucks utilizing Fernbank Road and disrupting their safety and neighbourhood.
The trucks are noisy and according to residents are not following the speed limit, nor coming to a full stop at stop signs and when they do, the airbrakes make some homes shudder. The trucks pose a safety hazard for children and families who like to bike along Fernbank, especially with no sidewalks to use or escape on in this case. They come through the neighbourhood at all hours and many residents are experiencing sleep deprivation. You can actually hear the trucks, especially at night, on Stittsville Main as they head to Fernbank Road with some sounding like an airplane on its flight path to or from the Ottawa airport.
Speaking to Nicky Swan the other day, she said she has “lived in the neighbourhood for over 40 years and has never experienced noise like this in all the years I’ve lived here. The trucks can be heard travelling down Fernbank later at night and this continues until the middle hours. The city should not have permitted the company to open without stricter enforcement of the truck traffic.”
Other residents have written to Councillors Gower and Brown to voice their concerns. One resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, forwarded to Stittsville Central the response written by a staffer that they received from Councillor’s Gower’s office.
“Thank you for your email to Councillor Gower. I am responding on his behalf to let you know that we are in receipt of your concerns regarding ongoing truck traffic on residential streets, including Fernbank and West Ridge. It is important these issues are brought forward, and the Councillor extends his thanks for bringing this to our attention.
We agree it’s unfortunate that this continues to be a problem for residents. We hear from your neighbours as well as other Stittsville residents who mention ongoing safety and noise concerns rising from commercial activities on Fernbank Road.
The Councillor has prepared a document with the most recent updates on the situation that I have attached for you to read and to share with your neighbours.
We continue to urge residents to record the company name, date, and time on vehicles if and when you see what you believe is illegal truck traffic or dangerous driving. If you make a report, please copy our office by email at glen.gower@ottawa.ca. Police will prioritize enforcement based on reports made by residents. Police have conducted at least one focused traffic safety blitz (stop sign enforcement, speed enforcement, etc.) so far in 2025. We also contact the contravening companies named by residents directly on your behalf.
We will continue to prioritize this issue and keep residents informed of changes as the situation evolves.
In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me directly should you have additional questions or concerns.”
Councillor Gower did say, on CTV, that he has asked the Ottawa Police to increase enforcement in the area.
The City of Ottawa truck route map distinctly shows that Fernbank Road is not a truck route; either heading West or East; and drivers of heavy trucks must use Jinkinson Road coming off of Highway 7 or Fallowfield Road to access Fernbank from the west end. Red lines indicate full loads are permitted and blue broken lines indicate only restricted loads are permitted on the Jinkinson and Fallowfield routes. There are no red or blue lines on Fernbank Road from Stittsville Main to the CFT Storage facility and this would indicate by the City of Ottawa that no trucks are allowed.
According to the Traffic And Parking By-law:
- Truck routes apply to heavy vehicles. A heavy vehicle means a motor vehicle having a carrying capacity in excess of one (1) tonne or any vehicle having a gross weight in excess of four and one-half (4.5) tonnes, but does not include a public transit vehicle travelling on an established transit route, an ambulance or a school vehicle.
- Heavy vehicles are obliged to travel on truck routes until such time the operator needs to: (a) make a delivery to premises not abutting a truck route; (b) perform services requiring the heavy vehicle at premises not abutting a truck route; (c) house, store or have the heavy vehicle repaired at a garage or other premises not abutting a truck route, or (d) perform a service for the City of Ottawa.
- Such deviations from truck routes are to be direct i.e. made from the point on a truck route nearest by highway distance to the premises referred to above. When successive deliveries are made in an area bounded by truck routes, after the last such delivery, the heavy vehicle must be driven to the nearest truck route.
The route from the intersection of Stittsville Main Street and Fernbank Road granted is shorter than using the Jinkinson Road or Fallowfield Road routes, but is causing safety issues and disruption in a quite neighbourhood. Along with breaking the City of Ottawa Traffic and Parking By-law, this is not excusable behaviour for a local business. We hope to hear that this issue has been resolved for the Fernbank Road residents.