Thursday, June 8, 2017

Should we send more trucks to the GCP?


From DNA Info:

Elected officials are calling on the Department of Transportation to allow large trucks to drive on a portion of the Grand Central Parkway — an effort to alleviate "paralyzing" traffic the big-rigs are causing on Astoria's residential streets, they say.

Commercial vehicles are currently banned from the parkway, with the exception of the stretch between the RFK-Triborough Bridge and the western end of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Currently, that approximately 14-block area allows for smaller trucks as long as they have "no more than three axles and ten tires," according to the DOT.

Astoria officials want that same stretch open to trucks of any size, which they say would keep larger vehicles making their way to the bridge on the parkway instead of on residential streets like Astoria Boulevard, where they're causing traffic mayhem, they say.

Smaller trucks have been allowed to drive on the Grand Central between the BQE and the Triborough Bridge since 2004, when the state legislature passed a bill — sponsored by Gianaris — in an earlier effort to combat Astoria traffic.

The senator said expanding that to include larger trucks would be a "win-win" for residents as well as commercial drivers, who would have a more convenient route between the bridge and the BQE.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about we raise every bridge along the GCP so these death trucks can have another route option? (sarc)

Anonymous said...

In case you're living under a rock there is "paralyzing" traffic almost everywhere.

Anonymous said...

This is a touch one.

Honestly, we did to start "no parking" during rush hour on Astoria Blvd and any other streets that need less congestion from 7-9am then 4-6:30pm

Anonymous said...

Oversize trucks are not, and should not, be allowed on residential streets OR Parkways - they should obey the law and stay on 95, unless they have a special permit allowing them to make a single delivery of a single load. Period. One truck is the equivalent of 9,600 mid-sized cars(no kidding! see http://archive.gao.gov/f0302/109884.pdf) cars on our roads.

BTW, following the law would create jobs (wish I could say union jobs...) - trucks would have to offload at distribution centers, the loads would be broken up and sent out in smaller, and presumably less noxious and dangerous, trucks.

Anonymous said...

Bike lanes should solve the problem

Anonymous said...

Something Paul Vallone never would do if he was the Astoria councilman. Go Costas!!!!!!

Anonymous said...


Well, in ten years they'll all be electric self-driving trucks with no drivers at all.

And they will NOT be union self driving trucks.

>>BTW, following the law would create jobs (wish I could say union jobs...) - trucks would have to offload at distribution centers, the loads would be broken up and sent out in smaller, and presumably less noxious and dangerous, trucks.

Anonymous said...

Let's get back to rail delivery like we did over a hundred years ago.

Anonymous said...

There were news stories in the local papers like 10-15 years ago about them amending the rules to make this so. I guess that news was wrong. Why wasn't this fixed then?

I bet this latest attempt will be derailed by whatever stopped it from happening over a decade ago. Hopefully this time there will be a follow up article at least telling us why it can't be done.

Anonymous said...

Suppose all trucks were allowed on the GCP eastbound between Triborough and BQE, the exit onto the BQE is only one lane, it will create backup congestion on the right lane more than a mile, perhaps all the bay back to Randalls Island.