The Common Council ad hoc Truck Route Committee meets on Wednesday, December 6. At its last meeting, the committee turned its attention to routes within the city for trucks that have to leave the state truck routes to get to their destinations. It's likely they will continue that discussion at Wednesday's meeting. Something the committee members need to bear in mind is what happens when trucks stray off the state truck routes.
This past March, Gossips reported about an eighteen-wheeler that reportedly "ripped off the rear end of an SUV" while trying to negotiate a turn off Warren Street onto North Fourth Street. How the truck had gotten to that point and where it was going remains a mystery.
Something similar happened on Friday on South Second Street, between Allen and Partition streets. A car parked on Second suffered significant damage when, according to eyewitnesses and security cameras in the area, it was struck by a white eighteen-wheeler. The truck was probably turning off Allen Street onto to Second, but what a truck of that size was doing in that part of the city and where it was heading is unknown. Whatever the reason, the truck driver didn't bother to stop after hitting the car.
In the summer of 2022, an eighteen-wheeler got stuck in that very same area, trying to execute a turn from Second Street onto Allen, and cars had to be moved out of its way. The driver of that truck claimed he had been following the directions provided by his GPS.
In November 2022, an eighteen-wheeler bound for Harney Tea had to be stopped and redirected from the route his GPS had dictated--a route that would have had the truck reach its destination by way of Robinson Street!
It seems whatever is written into the code or in a directive issued by the police commissioner it is of no matter if GPS is unaware of it. The task before the Truck Route Committee is Herculean.COPYRIGHT 2023 CAROLE OSTERINK
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2nd street between Allen and Partition and even Partition and Union has become very congested because of people (including myself) parking to go to Talbot & Arding. Hard to find a park sometimes. I can't imagine an 18-wheeler negotiating that street these days.
ReplyDeleteThere is a shortage of properly posted signs keeping trucks from turning onto streets they shouldn't be, so part of the blame is with the city (but who wants more goddam signs?). My favorite useless truck signs are on State Street just west of the intersection with Green Street where trucks are constantly veering off the truck route headed to 3rd street. The signs, directed at truckers who have already strayed from the route, say TRUCKS MUST STAY ON TRUCK ROUTE. Well, the message is ignored because it's too late by then (do you want the driver to back up to get back on the route?). Of course, the signs should be on Green Street instead (the truck route!), where they might actually have an effect. Oh, DPW!
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