The Public & Traffic Safety Committee discussed commercial vehicle parking on residential streets during its Aug. 14 meeting.
Police Chief and Interim City Manager Jason Ogden said the city’s municipal code states that heavy motor trucks are prohibited on any streets except on established truck routes. However, there are exceptions: public and emergency vehicles, detours, specific purposes such as picking up or dropping off goods, and unloaded trucks traveling to and from the driver’s residence.
“So if you’re unloaded, you are just fine to park in a residential area,” Ogden said.
The matter was on the agenda after Committee Member Vince Adams expressed concerns during the July meeting about log trucks taking up too much space and creating unsafe driving conditions in residential areas. In July he had said drivers cannot see cross traffic, pedestrians or animals until it’s too late.
Adams was not present at the August meeting and no further questions or concerns were raised.
The next matter on the agenda addressed crosswalks, initiated by Chair Frank Gallagher who said there are some crosswalks that need to be repainted or made more visible to drivers. Committee Member Bud Mather mentioned the crosswalk near 2nd Avenue on Holley Road, and Ogden said the Public Works employees could go around to identify other areas where crosswalks need to be repainted.
In other business:
- City Councilor Josh Thorstad told Ogden that when Public Works employees went to install stop signs at 47th Avenue and Long Street, “they got yelled at and thrown stuff at,” so the job was not complete. Ogden said he would talk to the Public Works Department.
- Committee Member Michael Hildebrand said he’d like to readdress the possibility of installing stop signs at 12th Avenue and Elm Street because it’s hard to see east-west traffic coming or going from 12th.
- A resident from Ulex Street complained about a driver who he believes continues to speed in the area, putting children at risk.