Police recently issued 81 summons to truckers in the 104th Precinct in an effort to crack down on drivers illegally using area streets to bypass the Long Island Expressway. Anna Gustafson/The Forum Newsgroup
Following a recent spike in motor vehicle accidents in the 104th Precinct, police cracked down on trucks driving illegally in neighborhoods where residents have long been concerned about massive tractor-trailers barrelling down side streets in order to avoid traffic on the Long Island Expressway.
Police from the 104th Precinct – which covers Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village and Maspeth – doled out 81 summons during the truck enforcement operation that ran from Tuesday, Aug. 6 through Friday, Aug. 9, according to Detective Thomas Bell, the community affairs officer. Among the summons, 50 were for individuals driving off truck routes – a problem that has long plagued the area, 14 were for truckers who had improper or no bills of lading – meaning they were not in compliance with where their deliveries were listed, and eight were for unlicensed drivers. One operator was given a ticket for not wearing a seat belt.
The operation followed an increase in truck accidents from July 8 to Aug. 4, Bell said.
“During that time period, there were 36 truck accidents compared with 18 during the same period last year,” Bell wrote. “The majority of the accidents involved only minor property damage. The officers were instructed to conduct the truck enforcements throughout the command focusing on corridors commonly used by trucks that are not designated as truck routes.”
Truck accidents have been a problem in general over the past year, increasing by 43 percent since this time last year, Capt. Christopher Manson, commanding officer of the 104th, said in a meeting with reporters earlier this month.
For years, giant commercial tractor-trailers have attempted to bypass the LIE by using Grand and Flushing avenues, as well as area sidestreets. With the truck traffic has come a litany of problems, from honking at all hours and concerns about pollution and safety. The rigs will frequently drive onto sidewalks – worrying parents whose children are walking in the area – and knock into parked cars and other property. In response to complaints from civic leaders and legislators, the city in 2011 implemented what is known as the Maspeth truck bypass – a route that was meant to funnel truck traffic off of Grand and Flushing avenues. The city also labeled Grand and Flushing avenues as local truck routes – meaning only vehicles making local deliveries are supposed to use the streets dotted with residences and small shops – though residents say truck drivers flagrantly disobey this.
“We’re stuck here,” Maspeth resident Richie Polgar said at a rally organized by the Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together Civic Association earlier this summer. “Traffic is terrible; they’re damaging our roads. They get lost on the side streets and bump into wires and damage cars.”
This is not the first time the 104th has targeted illegal truck drivers, and they frequently give summons for those violating the law. But, civic leaders have said that despite constant crackdowns from the cops, drivers will continue to get away with using residential roads because traffic court judges toss the tickets, saying it is still lawful for drivers to do so because the city Department of Transportation has not updated its truck route map to reflect the changes made in the Maspeth truck bypass.
By Anna Gustafson
