The Truck Stops Here?

Anthony Nunziato is the owner of Enchanted Florist, a flower shop on Grand Avenue in Maspeth. Most of the stores on his block are mom-and-pop shops, where owners take the time to greet one another at the start of the day. Well, at least, they used to.
"I cant shout across the street and say, Good morning," Nunziato said wanly.
The florist hasnt given up his neighborly salutation because of vocal problems, but because he knows his voice stands little chance against the strident rumbling of trucks down Grand Avenue.
"They cant hear me and I cant hear them anymore," he said.
Truckers use the avenue because it provides a quicker route to Brooklyn and to industrial locations on Rust Street than the traffic-plagued BQE.
The trucks, residents complain, endanger students attending schools along the avenue, block pedestrian walkways, blow harmful emissions into the environment, and ruin streets not made to support large vehicles.
Nunziato, chair of Community Board 5s environmental committee, was one of approximately 20 western Queens residents who attended a Department of Transportation (DOT) meeting Thursday night. At the meeting, residents were presented with the agencys preliminary findings of a truck route study they began in June and were allowed to give their feedback.
Nunziato came to the meeting to stress to DOT that when the study is completed in late spring, it should include recommendations from a study conducted by CB 5 last year under the stewardship of then chair Frank Principe. CB 5s study, handed over to DOT last spring but placed on hold until the city agency finished their own study, recommended redirecting truckers to the LIE and onto a bypass route at Maurice Avenue, which circumvents the main part of Maspeth.
DOTs study, which is being conducted by consulting firm Edwards and Kelcey, will be completed next June. To date, the firm has surveyed residents, businesses and trucker associations in an attempt to figure out how to amend the citys truck routes which have not been addressed in 20 years.
The city agency also held two meetings this past week for community boards in the northeast and southeast sections of the borough.
At the meetings, Edwards and Kelcey representatives said the surveys found that a better coordination of delivery times between businesses and truckers could alleviate traffic congestion along commercial strips and residential roads. They noted that the majority of truckers either parked curbside or double-parked when making deliveries. More so, 75% of truckers did not have a scheduled time of delivery, though between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. was the most frequent delivery time. Edwards and Kelcey representatives suggested one solution to the congestion is for businesses to accept truckers at off-peak hours.
Edwards and Kelcey representatives said the surveys also found a need for better education of truck drivers.
To find their destination and determine a route, many truckers said they used Hagstrom maps or computer software, which, the presenters noted, can be misleading and do not specify truck routes. Moreover, only a small amount of drivers who responded to the survey knew the citys truck route regulations. The presenters said that an absence of signage may be contributing to the lack of familiarity.
The difficulty of enforcement was also highlighted at the western Queens meeting. Sergeant Jill Bambrick of the 104th Precinct told the attendees that most of her officers are not trained or equipped to issue larger truck violations. She did note that there is now one officer in the precinct who is trained and whose sole job is to address trucking problems.
While most residents agreed with the findings, they had some reservations.
"Signage is fine I am sure it will help," said Manny Caruana of Maspeth. "The problem with signage is that if there is nobody there to ticket the trucker, then he is going to go through a residential road."
Councilman John Liu, chair of the City Councils transportation committee, who attended northeast Queens meetings, stressed the need for both signage and enforcement after hearing DOTs presentation.
"There’s no question that local truck traffic is necessary, simply to ensure delivery of goods and services to our communities," he said. "Nonetheless, trucks need to adhere to truck routes and not stray onto streets where they are not permitted. It is the city’s responsibility to designate truck routes and enforce regulations in order to maintain the safety and integrity of residential neighborhoods."
Frank Principe, who provided much of the manpower for completing his community boards study of Grand Avenue, just wondered why all these surveys and meetings were necessary when he and his fellow community board members had done the legwork for DOT.
"These people make a living out of having studies and studies and studies," he said. "It drives me crazy with all that stuff."