The protest truck convoy that rolled through Auburn and Skaneateles on Friday certainly achieved the goal of getting the public's attention. It remains to be seen whether this action leads to changes in the proposed regulations limiting long-haul truck traffic in Finger Lakes communities.

But if the new rules are altered, we certainly hope they're not based on misleading characterizations of the situation made by the trucking industry spokespersons and their various supporters over the past two weeks.

Myth No. 1: The regulations would ban trucks from coming through Skaneateles. Few people, it seems, are bothering to actually read the proposed regulations put out by the state Department of Transportation. If they did, they would see that Route 20, the road that runs through the heart of the village, would not be affected. Truckers could still take a shortcut to the Seneca Meadows landfill by getting off Interstate 81 at Exit 15 and heading west, through Skaneateles and Auburn. Route 41, which runs along Skaneateles Lake, is on the list of roads that trucks passing through would have to avoid. Essentially, trucks would have to add 10 miles to their trip from downstate, which we don't see as a giant hardship.

Myth No. 2: Wealthy people in Skaneateles are responsible for the proposed regulations. The concerns about long-haul garbage trucks barreling down rural roads instead of main routes is one shared by residents along these shortcut roads throughout the region. The task force that has been most vocal on the issue is headed by an Owasco resident, and it has active participants from communities in Tompkins, Cayuga and Onondaga counties. Yes, Skaneateles has been part of the effort. But not the focal point. The truth is, the trucking industry knows it can gain support by trying to portray this as some sort of class warfare issue.

Myth No. 3: Supporters of the regulations are anti-trucker. It's possible to support these restrictions and still be appreciative of the men and women who transport goods along our roads. For one thing, the regulations do not apply to trucks making deliveries. A tractor-trailer that needs to make a pick-up and drop-off along any of the proposed restricted road could still do so. This is a concern over large trucks using these small roads as shortcuts, nothing more.