At Thursday night's meeting of the ad hoc Truck Route Committee, Margaret Morris (First Ward), who chairs the committee, proposed a first step in easing the truck traffic that passes through Hudson: eliminating the Route 9G/23B truck route through the city.
In September 2002, the Common Council waived all past due PILOT payments for L&B Furniture--payments that probably amounted to tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. The action was taken "to insure the operation would continue" and "to keep manufacturing jobs in the City of Hudson." The resolution that accomplished that can be found on pages 286-287 of the Council minutes for 2002.
Despite the City's efforts to keep it alive, L&B went out of business in 2008, but the truck route created for its benefit remained. Given that the truck route has lost its original raison d’être, the City should be able to make a good case for eliminating it with the Department of Transportation.
Of course, eliminating the Route 9G/23B truck route may have the effect of increasing truck traffic on Route 9 as it passes through Hudson, entering the city on Worth Avenue, turning left onto Warren Street, then right onto Park Place, then right onto Columbia, and continuing on Green Street.
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The hope, however, is that, denied access to Route 9G, trucks coming off the Rip Van Winkle Bridge headed for the malls in Greenport or points beyond will continue on Route 23 until they get to 9H instead of threading the needle through Hudson on Route 9. But there is no guarantee of that. At last night's meeting, Jason Foster, who lives on Green Street, opined that creating more conflict in some ways is a good thing.
Council president Tom DePietro, who lives on Worth Avenue, said he personally was not opposed to eliminating the Route 9G/23B truck route, but he was concerned for his neighbors. "That's asking us to bear a lot," he told the committee. He went on to predict, "If you propose this, [my neighbors] will be up in arms."
Linda Mussmann, Fourth Ward supervisor, who is a member of the committee, acknowledged what was being proposed would be good for the Fourth Ward but at the price of "making other neighbors miserable." She expressed the opinion that there needed to be a public hearing on the issue.
Abdus Miah, Second Ward supervisor, took issue with Mussmann, reminding her that relief from trucks traveling on Columbia Street through the Second and Fourth wards was what they had been fighting for. "We can't make everybody happy," said Miah. "We want to solve the problem." DePietro commented, "It's making some people happy at the expense of other people."
In the end, it was decided to pursue the idea of eliminating one of Hudson's two truck routes, the one that enters the city from the south on Third Street, goes up Columbia Street to Green Street, and continues on Green Street until it exits the city.
The last thing we want or need is more tractor trailer traffic on the 800 block of Warren, turning on and off of Worth Street and Park Place, and on and off of Columbia at Park Place. It's insane as it is, especially all the truck noise one hears while sitting in the 7th Street park.
ReplyDeleteDesperate to do something, anything, after a term spent doing and accomplishing nothing, the council will use the city’s streets in what amounts to a shell game. Tom, incapable of managing, leading or seemingly perceiving reality, continues to not perform except in ways designed to magnify his fabulist nature. The entire council is a testament to the Peter principal.
ReplyDeleteI would remind you and anyone else who wants to affect change in Hudson city government that independent nominating petitions can still place your name on the ballot for this year's election cycle, and the earliest day to turn them in is 23 May. It takes approximately 102 signatures to qualify for the ballot using this method, and far less to run for a council or supervisor seat. Perhaps Gossips could do a post on the preocess if requested.
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One need only look at the number of write-in candidates for CC Pres and mayor during the last cycle to understand how many people are fed up with Hudson's lack of political leadership.
The current composition of the Hudson City Democratic Committee has utterly failed the Hudson community, and turned party-line voting into an exercise in rank ignorance. No platform, no outreach, and no participation.
It's a disgraceful situation that I hope is rectified.
I think the City should close Park Place to vehicle traffic as part of the Public Square Park extension designed for pedestrian use only.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing to consider is the amount of truck traffic speeding down Harry Howard Avenue to join 9G at 3rd. Trucks of all sizes are using Harry Howard as a short cut. I have never seen a truck go 20 miles an hour. Our city's children are in danger. Will it take a loss of life before something is done?
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