PLEASANT RIDGE, Mich. – Local 4 Defenders have been following the constant truck traffic in Detroit’s Pingree Park neighborhood, but it’s not the only Metro Detroit area with the same problem.
A man in Pleasant Ridge was so fed up with semi trucks cutting through side streets and residential neighborhoods, he made a documentary.
“We get 40 illegal trucks per day,” said Tom Hendrickson. “We hear, feel, smell them.”
Pleasant Ridge city officials confirmed what Hendrickson is feeling -- 3,000 cars and 40 to 60 trucks a day drive past his home on Woodward Heights Boulevard.
Hendrickson produced a documentary on how the road became a shortcut for drivers after Nine Mile and 10 Mile roads slimmed down.
“We are sick of it. We don’t know what to do,” Hendrickson said.
City officials did a traffic study in the fall and approved pinch points to make the road less attractive to truck drivers.
“There isn’t cement companies or cement to get the job done,” said city commissioner Bret Scott.
The city manager said police try to enforce the no trucks law, but they aren’t able to patrol the area at all times.
Neighbor Howard Smith used to drive a big rig and he’s frustrated with the situation too.
“I think it’s ridiculous. Drivers ignore signs, get a ticket,” Smith said. “If I drove, I know I’d be in the wrong and expect and see them here all the time.”
Commissioner Scott said the next step is a petition to get things rolling in the right direction. He said traffic apps are leading drivers to the road and the city has been working with tech companies to properly label the street as truck free.
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