At the December meeting of the Truck Route Committee, Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward), who chairs the committee, suggested that a directive issued in 1976 by then police commissioner Thomas Quigley designating truck routes within the city be amended. She specifically wanted reference to Columbia Street below Third and Front Street to be deleted from the directive. Last night, at the informal Common Council meeting, Morris presented a draft for a new directive regarding truck traffic.
Trucks can legally depart from the designated truck routes when making local deliveries. That leaves truck drivers on their own or dependent on their GPS to find their way to destinations. Since it is known that there are now regular deliveries to Harney Tea at the north end of Second Street and there will soon be regular truck traffic to and from the White Toque facility under development at 7 Dock Street, shouldn't the City be providing some guidance about the preferred way to get to these destinations?
Last November, an eighteen-wheeler bound for Harney Tea had to be assisted by a DPW worker when his GPS routed him by way of Robinson Street.
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| Photo: Peter Spear |
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| Photo: Peter Spear |
Just this past weekend, another truck bound for Harney Tea had trouble negotiating a turn at Third and State streets.
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| Photo: Bill Huston |
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| Photo: Bill Huston |
The problem of trucks in the city is not one that will be easily solved.
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The driver of the truck stuck at 3rd and State, which popped the street signs off the pole and bent the pole, was not issued a ticket by HPD for straying off the truck route even though the driver disregarded and drove directly under the TRUCK ROUTE sign on 3rd at Columbia directing all through and delivery trucks to turn, especially semitrailers. DPW doesn't seem to care that the second sign at Columbia and 3rd, an image of a truck with a slash over it, fell off the wire two months ago and has not been replaced. Blame GPS if you like, but equally at fault is the city's lack of attention to the matter of truck traffic. City Hall is not doing enough to keep trucks on the route and traveling safely -- something truly ugly is bound to happen. The big, regrettable truck accident will, I predict, occur at or near 6th and Columbia. The conditions are ripe for one!
ReplyDeleteB Huston
Although access needs to be provided to business for local truck deliveries, many cities have limits on the size of trucks that are permitted when making those deliveries. The length of trucks permitted on city streets can be restricted, the deliveries would then simply be made with smaller trucks.
ReplyDeleteIt seems crazy that with all this talk of truck traffic, pollution, noise etc, that another source of increased traffic would be permitted down on Dock Street, but that's another story.
All the GPS and signage in the world ain't gonna make a too-big truck turn into a too-small street. This is the sort of thing that we as a community have the right to have our elected "leaders" fix. Not try to fix. Not talk about fixing. Not laugh about fixing. But actually fixing. I guess the mayor is too busy paving the way for more tax-payer subsidized housing in a city with a shrinking population. And the Council is stymied trying to figure out sidewalks.
ReplyDeleteBTW, that truck I took pictures of at 3rd last weekend not only "had trouble," but to get the truck where it needed to go an HPD officer had to get in the cab and drive the rig IN REVERSE all the way back past Columbia and turn onto Columbia (impressively quickly and smoothly!) before giving the wheel back to the inexperienced driver who was no doubt experiencing Hudson's narrow, confusing and troubled "truck route" for the first time. Welcome to Hudson.
ReplyDeleteThe problem, or a big part of it, is who and what department is supposed to be handling the truck route. That would be the Police Commissioner, Shane Bower, who never shows up to council meetings. DPW, according to Rob Perry at this month's meeting, said his department just installs traffic devices, they don't decide where they go or what signs to use. "The Police Commissioner tells us where they go and we do it." Police Chief Ed Moore seems to be taking questions and comments for Mr. Bower at meetings regarding all traffic matters truck and car, and that failed line of communication was on embarrassing display at January's meeting. There should be no surprise that the truck route is a continuing problem and trucks continue to stray off of it regularly. Those at City Hall can't seem to handle the simple task of speaking with one another or, for certain people, showing up to council meetings to be present, helpful, accountable and show they care about Hudson.
ReplyDeleteBan trucks of a length that causes them to be unable to make turns to get to an intended delivery location. So tell Harney it can't use long delivery trucks, assuming there is no safe way for them to get to the Harney delivery location.
ReplyDelete