W.B. Mason on 43rd Street in Sunnyside (Photo: Queens Post)
Jan. 31, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
Nearly 200 people have signed an online petition demanding an end to the heavy truck noise that emanates from the W.B. Mason warehouse in Sunnyside.
Residents say that the trucks that make deliveries from the company’s 39-34 43rd St. warehouse are often double parked and are left idling at all hours of the day and night.
They complain that noise from the trucks backing up can be heard even when their windows are closed and that there is often a strong smell of diesel when they idle.
The warehouse, despite being so close to Sunnyside Gardens, is located in a manufacturing zone and trucks are permitted to operate 24/7.
The petition, which was posted by Beth Lieberman to Change.org last week, is not calling for the company to leave the area; instead, it is asking W.B. Mason to mitigate the noise.
The petitioners want the drivers to stop using their noisy back-up beepers – especially overnight—and want W.B. Mason to stop the trucks from idling for extended periods.
Drivers, according to city regulations, are not permitted to let their trucks idle for more than three minutes while parked near a curb.
In addition, the petitioners want the drivers to stop double parking.
The residents told NY1 this week that more enforcement in the area is needed by the NYPD and/or the Department of Environmental Protection – the two agencies that can issue idling vehicle violations.
Additionally, they are looking into a zoning amendment that could restrict its hours of operations.
The warehouse, which is located next to Lou Lodati Park and across the street from houses, is used by W.B. Mason to distribute office products to companies around the country. The company opened the warehouse in June 2019.
The facility has a loading bay off 43rd Street with two driveways that the trucks go in and out of.
W.B. Mason has taken some steps to mitigate the noise, although the company has not done enough, critics say.
The company’s drivers recently disabled their noisy beepers at night. However, W.B. Mason also relies on third-party vendor trucks and they have not made such a change.
“My house is directly across the street from the factory and the noise is constant– around the clock,” said Kristen McGowan.
“We get woken up, every single night,” she added, noting that her 3-year-old daughter is a light sleeper. “And so when she’s up, I’m up, so it’s really been brutal.”
McGowan says the busiest time for deliveries appears to be overnight and in the early morning.
She said that there are traffic problems on 43rd Street particularly before 9 a.m. She said that school buses often get caught up in the gridlock.
The warehouse also poses a danger to pedestrians, McGowan says. The trucks go on and off the site as people—particularly children– use the sidewalk to access Lou Lodati park and walk to school.
McGowan fears that a serious accident is waiting to happen.
“There’s nobody directing their trucks in, someone’s going to get hurt,” she said.
Several calls were made to W.B. Mason for comment. The company has yet to respond.
The online petition can be found here.
W.B. Mason (Photo: Queens Post)
