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Pennsbury supports truck ban

Pennsbury Township joined the London Grove, Highland, West Marlboro and East Fallowfield municipalities on Monday in support of a proposed truck restriction on several routes throughout southern Chester County.

According to SAVE (Safety, Agriculture, Villages and Environment) Executive Director Dee Durham, the suggested restrictions for through trucks would apply to Pennsylvania routes 41, 82, 841, 896, 796, 926, 842, 10, 52 and Strasburg Road.

The grass-roots organization, which has been serving the county for more than six years, defines through-truck traffic as any commercial vehicle that initiates a trip from outside Route 41 and ends its trip beyond Route 41. It also includes any tractor-trailer or rear-axle vehicle used to haul nonhuman loads.

Durham said the idea for a more encompassing through-truck ban came from SAVE’s preliminary work with Route 41 restrictions earlier this year, but now as the group seeks to secure state aid in the matter and appeal to Gov. Ed Rendell and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for support, SAVE members said they were seeking local backing from as many municipalities as possible.

"Route 41 is a highway that has the highest number of accidents and fatalities of most of the highways in Pennsylvania and it is up to the townships what we do with it," Durham said.

The initial research and proposal for the restrictions came from a citizens’ task force. The group came up with a list of restrictions and recommendations that later expanded into additional highways in southern Chester County.

Supervisors voiced concern regarding potential increased traffic flow along Route 1 due to the restrictions that would require through trucks to re-map their routes onto Route 1 or Route 202. Members of SAVE however, said that according to a study conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), travel along Route 41 takes only 10 minutes less than Route 202. Because of numerous alternative passages, commercial traffic is unlikely to rise.

"Truckers are against this because it will increase their operating costs," Durham said. "Although it may, the actual increase will be insignificant."

SAVE representatives told Pennsbury supervisors the group did not think the through-truck traffic was contributing to local business or economy, but were instead increasing the risk of accidents along the Route 41 corridor for area residents.

While all three Pennsbury supervisors were in favor of backing the proposal SAVE intends to forward to Gov. Rendell and PenDOT authorities, supervisors’ Chairman Bill Reynolds said he was apprehensive about the actual ability for local officials to enforce any new regulations.

"I think it’s an implausible job to watch trucks and know if it’s going in or out of the county," he said. "Even weigh stations are incapable of stopping everyone."

Reynolds said he supported the resolution but he was not optimistic that the restrictions will make significant improvements in traffic safety.

SAVE representative Barry Levin said the organization had considered issuing stickers for those trucks traveling within county lines, however they later dismissed the idea after speaking with truckers and authorities on the issue.

"There was a proposal too, to have one state trooper keep their eyes on the road," Levin said. "Eventually we think that if you keep the same officer on the post they’ll begin to recognize local trucks."

©Daily Local News 2003