Although a proposal has removed a main road from pending truck traffic regulations, local officials are pleased with the measure.
Citizen Stock Photo
State transportation officials significantly scaled back a proposal to limit truck traffic on rural roads in the Finger Lakes region, with the major change of removing Route 20 from the list of targeted roads.
Transportation Department planners this week released a revised set of proposed regulations that confines the restrictions to seven specific highway routes.
While Skaneateles Village Mayor Bob Green had not heard the latest development, he wasn't surprised. He had followed concerns about the previous proposal violating federal laws. The federal Highway Department contributes funds to maintain Route 20, thereby placing it under the umbrella of federal regulations, not state.
The proposal would apply to state Routes 41 and 41A, which will help cut the number of trucks coming from the south, Green said. He also is a member of the Upstate New York Safety Coalition Task Force, a group of Finger Lakes' government leaders who pushed for such regulations to cut the number of garbage trucks traveling from New York City to Seneca Meadows landfill.
“I think as long as 41 and 41A stay on the list, then the truck traffic through Skaneateles will be substantially reduced,” Green said.
Some trucks take shortcuts that have them traveling close to the region's lakes, a point of concern for many task force members.
Without the ability to travel on those two streets that run along Skaneateles Lake, garbage trucks would have to connect with Route 20 from Route 81 in Lafayette. This path is hilly and not economical for the trucks, so Green still expects to see a decline in trash carriers.
State officials initially proposed making big trucks stick to interstates and other major highways and use lesser routes only when those roads are the only paths to and from their destinations, or under exceptional conditions such as severe weather.
Charles Carrier, a DOT spokesman, said Friday the agency narrowed the proposal in part because federal officials said the first plan might conflict with federal highway guidelines.
“I think this process has gone well. I think it's been slower than expected, but I think the DOT has been doing a thorough job,” Green said of drafting this proposal. “As long as it keeps moving forward, we're happy.”
Crews would post signs on the routes that would be off-limits to trucks. Drivers who are caught driving on them without a good reason would face fines ranging between $150 and $450 and up to 90 days in jail.
Carrier said the state aims to implement the new regulations by the end of this month.
The struggle to regulate truck traffic on rural routes has received national attention, especially from the trucking industry, which has mostly criticized the effort.
Green said those in the industry weren't interested in discussing or addressing people's concerns until the state Department of Transportation became involved.
“I can understand their side. It's economics,” Green said. “They are trying to make money.”
Transportation Department planners this week released a revised set of proposed regulations that confines the restrictions to seven specific highway routes.
While Skaneateles Village Mayor Bob Green had not heard the latest development, he wasn't surprised. He had followed concerns about the previous proposal violating federal laws. The federal Highway Department contributes funds to maintain Route 20, thereby placing it under the umbrella of federal regulations, not state.
The proposal would apply to state Routes 41 and 41A, which will help cut the number of trucks coming from the south, Green said. He also is a member of the Upstate New York Safety Coalition Task Force, a group of Finger Lakes' government leaders who pushed for such regulations to cut the number of garbage trucks traveling from New York City to Seneca Meadows landfill.
“I think as long as 41 and 41A stay on the list, then the truck traffic through Skaneateles will be substantially reduced,” Green said.
Some trucks take shortcuts that have them traveling close to the region's lakes, a point of concern for many task force members.
Without the ability to travel on those two streets that run along Skaneateles Lake, garbage trucks would have to connect with Route 20 from Route 81 in Lafayette. This path is hilly and not economical for the trucks, so Green still expects to see a decline in trash carriers.
State officials initially proposed making big trucks stick to interstates and other major highways and use lesser routes only when those roads are the only paths to and from their destinations, or under exceptional conditions such as severe weather.
Charles Carrier, a DOT spokesman, said Friday the agency narrowed the proposal in part because federal officials said the first plan might conflict with federal highway guidelines.
“I think this process has gone well. I think it's been slower than expected, but I think the DOT has been doing a thorough job,” Green said of drafting this proposal. “As long as it keeps moving forward, we're happy.”
Crews would post signs on the routes that would be off-limits to trucks. Drivers who are caught driving on them without a good reason would face fines ranging between $150 and $450 and up to 90 days in jail.
Carrier said the state aims to implement the new regulations by the end of this month.
The struggle to regulate truck traffic on rural routes has received national attention, especially from the trucking industry, which has mostly criticized the effort.
Green said those in the industry weren't interested in discussing or addressing people's concerns until the state Department of Transportation became involved.
“I can understand their side. It's economics,” Green said. “They are trying to make money.”
