As of this past Monday, October 6, the City of Detroit have implemented new restrictions in Southwest Detroit that will become a citywide initiative aimed at keeping large commercial trucks out of neighborhoods.
For years, Southwest Detroit residents have complained that the heavy trucks use residential streets as shortcuts to Interstates 94 and 75, causing environmental issues, damaging streets and hitting homes and businesses throughout the day and night.
The new restrictions only allow the trucks on thoroughfares that run through neighborhoods if they are making a delivery or picking up a shipment. It will block them from other routes and drivers will face tickets if they violate the new restrictions.
“We know this is a long time coming,” said Raquel Garcia, executive director of Detroit Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision. “My heart is pounding with joy.”
City officials also will work with trucking companies, logistics companies and others in the transportation industry to make sure they understand the restrictions, said Sam Krassenstein, deputy director of the Detroit Department of Public Works and Chief of Infrastructure for the city.
“Trucks have been using many streets in southwest Detroit to get to freeways,” he said. “Quite frankly, we let them.”
City officials have studied the issue for years and formulated the restrictions to cut down on the traffic. They are looking at other parts of the city to also target with the restrictions.
Detroit Police Assistant Chief Franklin Hayes said officers will keep a close eye on trucks to ensure they are in the right areas. He said it is unfair that residents have to put up with the situation.
“This quality of life issue has plagued this community for far too long,” he said.
City officials said not all drivers are creating this issue and the restrictions are not an attack on the transportation industry. But something had to be done because thousands of trucks are on the road in the city every day. The Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal (DIFT), for example, sees more than 1,200 truck trips, according to city data.
Detroit City Councilmember Gabriel Santiago-Romero has worked on the issue since she took office. She said she will continue to work with the city’s law department to beef up ordinances and educate drivers.
“This is quite the beginning,” she said. “We have a long way to go.”
Longtime resident Simone Sagovac, who also is the director of the Southwest Detroit Community Benefits Coalition, said neighborhood activists have worked since 2009 on gathering information to get the city to take action. She wants to see the restrictions implemented across the city.
“It is a safety issue,” she said. “It is an economic issue and a health issue.”
Greg Mangan, a real estate advocate for the Southwest Detroit Business Association, said good quality neighborhoods and business communities thrive when they feed off of each other.
“A great place to live is a great place to do business,” he said.
To report issues, visit the city’s new reporting platform at https://arcg.is/iGDbv0.
Santiago Esparza is a Detroit-based freelance writer. He is a native of Southwest Detroit
This article and photos were made possible thanks to a generous grant to EL CENTRAL Hispanic News by Press Forward, the national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. Learn more at www.pressforward.news.
