City leaders aim to avert heavy trucks

Chardon officials are targeting commercial truck traffic on residential roadways near the city square.

City Council recently approved placing nine signs on and around the first two streets it intends to address: South Hambden Street and Claridon Road.

The signs will prohibit trucks that weigh more than 5 tons.

“We want to limit trucks to the use of state routes,” said Councilman Chris Grau, Safety Committee chairman. “We are moving ahead with new signage on South Street and Claridon Road with further planning in progress. Our staff will make a recommendation as to placement of these signs.”

Multiple signs are needed to provide adequate

notification prior to trucks reaching a prohibited area, officials said.

“This is a starting point,” Grau said. “We recognize that there are other streets that have similar concerns, but we’re going to give this a shot first.”

The streets were selected based on the number of complaints the city has received about heavy trucks, said Councilman Andrew K. Blackley, also on the Safety Committee.

“New signs would be posted on these streets coming into the city and where they join the state/ federal highways inside the city,” he said.

He noted the need to designate truck routes in the city, which can be accomplished when the Thoroughfare Plan is updated later this year.

“It is my preference to exclude trucks from the west side of the square (Main Street), but this is

tough as long as it is part of state Route 44,” Blackley said.

Enforcement is anticipated to start with warnings within the first two to three months that the signs are posted.

“After they see the signs for a few months, I think they’re going to get the idea that they’re going to need to take an alternate route,” Grau said.

The difficulty, he said, is for police to determine whether a truck is making a delivery along the offlimits route or just passing through.

Chief Scott Niehus confirmed that educating truck drivers during the initial stops is key.

“You may have to follow them through town, just to make sure that they aren’t making a delivery here,” Law Director James M. Gillette said.

Councilman Dan Meleski said drivers should be able to produce a bill or order as proof of where the load is headed.

“That’s fairly easy to ask for the document,” he said.