SKANEATELES - State Sen. John DeFrancisco gave Skaneateles residents and local officials an update Tuesday as to the progress made in reducing truck traffic through the village and other small communities in the Finger Lakes region.

DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, said he had spoken with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg about the issue, which locals and members of the Upstate New York Safety Coalition Task Force say creates problems for safety, infrastructure and the environment.

John Dougherty, commissioner of NYC's Department of Sanitation, has agreed to keep haulers away from areas that are restricted in their contracts, places such as environmentally sensitive and historic locations, DeFrancisco said. Dougherty has also sent a letter to his vendor encouraging its haulers to avoid such areas. DeFrancisco said that this step, along with agreements from three downstate counties, takes care of 100 of the estimated 280 trucks that travel to the Seneca Meadows landfill in Waterloo daily. He is currently looking to obtain copies of contracts from other states - including New Jersey and Connecticut - that send their garbage upstate.

DeFrancisco asked residents to monitor the number of haulers on local roads so that he may determine if Dougherty's actions have resulted in an appreciable difference.