Mayor John Tory is trumpeting a new rule that forces utility crews to do much of their work on downtown streets outside daylight hours.

The change, though, is not music to the ears of some downtown councillors, including Joe Cressy.

“We’re going to build places for people to sleep downtown but we won’t actually let you sleep downtown,” because of potential construction noise, thundered the Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina representative.

Tory announced Wednesday utility companies and their subcontractors are no longer allowed to do planned roadwork between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on streets bounded by Dundas St. to the north, Lake Shore Blvd./Harbour St. to the south, Bathurst St. to the west and Jarvis St. to the east.

There is an exception — curb lanes where parking is allowed — but only between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

“These are the kinds of common-sense approaches to traffic and congestion management that Toronto residents expect of city hall,” Tory said. “The days of hydro, telephone or cable trucks blocking lanes of traffic during the day for non-emergency work have come to an end. It’s not fair to residents or businesses and it’s not something that should be happening in a major city.”

After Cressy and neighbouring councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam protested that Tory was putting the needs of commuting drivers over those of downtowners trying to sleep, the mayor said Thursday “there is absolutely no intention of pushing noisy work into overnight hours.”

His office noted that a city bylaw prohibiting loud noise overnight will still apply to utility crews.

Cressy countered that an energy company crew will do round-the-clock work on Simcoe St., outside two condo buildings and a hotel, and the new restrictions were cited as the reason.

He also noted the downtown population is booming with 240,000 residents, including a growing number of children, and argued their councillors need to be fully consulted on such changes.

“Either there is a complete breakdown in understanding what this policy is, or a misunderstanding into the hours it is going to be applied,” Cressy said. “I’m going to work with Mayor Tory to make sure we fix this.”

Not all downtown councillors disapprove. Lucy Troisi, appointed by council to replace the late Pam McConnell in Ward 28 Toronto Centre-Rosedale, tweeted her approval of the new rule, calling it a “balanced approach necessary to keep the city moving.”

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