Truckers driving illegally on north Brooklyn residential streets were caught by surprise last month by Assemblyman Vito Lopez and community activists.

The Assemblyman and OUTRAGE, a Williamsburg group fighting to reduce truck impacts, held a one-day high visibility event July 29^th to crack down on off-route truckers. NYPD 90^th Precinct and Highway Patrol officers flagged at least a dozen trucks, and confirmed route and other violations. The police issued $60,000 in summonses. The activists felt the community had made a powerful statement to truckers. They are working toward another crackdown with the NYPD, and hope to attract sponsorship from additional elected officials. Williamsburg hosts several large waste transfer stations and a variety of light industries. Trucks in the neighborhood often disobey truck route laws.

In November 2003 a NY State law was enacted that increases fines for truck drivers who deviate from established NYC truck routes. While initial reports from the DMV in April indicated an increase in summonses, most city neighborhoods continue to suffer from trucks on local streets. In recent surveys, NYC DOT has learned that the majority of truckers are unaware of specific local routes, and posted signage is unclear or contradictory. Additionally, police are frequently unclear about the routes. More initiatives like that by Assemblyman Lopez and OUTRAGE are a good way to build awareness of the problem and the rules.

NYC DOT will hold an administrative hearing September 20^th (see Calendar) on its proposal to make permanent an experiment that granted access to part of the Grand Central Parkway by two and three axle trucks. To reduce truck traffic on streets in Astoria, Queens, trucks have been allowed to use the parkway between the Triborough Bridge and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

Because of the peculiar rules governing parkways, truck routing in NYC is often backwards — trucks on city streets affect a great many with noise, vibration, pollution and aggravation, but they are barred from many limited-access highways. The city should find more opportunities to open more highways to trucks, and restrict parallel street routes.

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