DETROIT – Southwest Detroit businesses, nonprofits, block clubs, and city leaders are coming together to act against semi-trucks driving through their neighborhoods.
They told Local 4 during a press conference Thursday (Oct. 19) that the trucks are impacting their quality of life.
“My day starts by me being woke by semi-trucks driving past my home anywhere from three, four, five in the morning out of violation, they’re not supposed to do that,” said Thomassenia Weston of the Livernois 2 Clark Block Club.
Other residents said it’s not just the noise, but there’s a safety and health component. The truck’s diesel gas deposits pollutants into the air, and it is impacting their health.
“They omit exhaust that causes health problems, said Detroit City Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago-Romero. “The amount of cancers, the amount of asthma residents have here.”
President of Springdale-Woodmere Block Club Ann Byrn said, “We will not be anyone’s sacrificial lamb.”
A few years ago, area nonprofits, along with the Detroit Health Department and the University of Michigan, did a health impact assessment.
“For residents who live within 500 feet of a truck route, the children had twice the level of asthma as what is the national asthma and seniors had three times the level of asthma, and this was prior to the construction of the new bridge,” said Executive Director of Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation Angela Reyes.
There have also been noise studies and truck counts. Community leaders said it’d been a problem for well over 30 years, and during that time, they’ve gotten the city to put up more signs and issue more tickets, but it’s not enough. They’ve recently partnered to launch a campaign asking the city for a truck route ordinance or dust ordinance.
“We need the city to have designated truck routes that move the trucks away from where people live,” Reyes said.
Interim President and CEO of Southwest Detroit Business Association Laura Chavez-Wazeerud-Din said, “Now it’s accountability—how do we hold the companies accountable? How do we hold the truck drivers accountable.”
Leaders said they also want state and federal officials to get involved because they know it’s not just a problem in Southwest Detroit.