Some Concrete Ideas On What Can Be Done About Truck Traffic

[JK: The Daily Gazette published an editorial on June 1, 2024, in which the editor ranted about the city’s failure to act on the scourge of truck traffic in downtown Saratoga Springs.

“After decades of inaction, it’s time for city, state and federal officials to stop ignoring this problem and come up with an acceptable solution.”

“Elected officials need to end the decades of procrastination and finally do something about it.”

Before denouncing the many concerned people who have struggled to find a solution for truck traffic in our city, the editorialist might have had the courtesy to do a little research. A simple Google search would have been helpful to the editor in writing a more accurate and thoughtful piece. A search might have revealed former County Planner and Public Safety Commissioner Lew Benton’s numerous writings addressing this issue. Lew has documented both the problems with truck traffic and the many attempts over the years to find a solution. It is a frustrating story, but it is not a story of procrastination and inaction, as the Gazette asserts.

Finance Commissioner Sanghvi was so enthusiastic about this editorial that she publicly passed around copies to her colleagues at the June 4, 2024, City Council meeting. She promised to bring the issue up at the next meeting. She, too, might have benefited from a similar Google search.

Commissioner Sanghvi would have better served the people who are currently expressing frustration about truck traffic by handing out Lew Benton’s two thoughtful analyses of the history of truck issues and some actions that the city could take and is taking to mitigate the truck problems.

The following are additional thoughts by Lew.]

ADDENDUM TO APRIL 2024 REPORT “TRUCK TRAFFIC IN SARATOGA SPRINGS: A Brief History of Problems, Possibilities and Progress”

In April, I completed and shared with the city council and other interest groups a report titled Truck Traffic in Saratoga Springs:  Brief History of Problems, Possibilities and Progress (hereinafter the Report).

That Report included a summary of the several traffic studies conducted over the past 40 years,  a look at the truck bypass initiatives during the same period and a brief discussion of Vehicle and Traffic Law enforcement before and after the establishment the city’s Traffic Safety Division (TSD) in 1988.

This Addendum to the April Report expands on its Enforcement History and Alternate Routing Proposal sections. The Addendum’s intent is threefold: (1) promotion of a re-established Traffic Safety Division within the Police Department, (2) re-visiting previously approved and established weight limited streets that are still not appropriately signed and policed, and (3) to encourage a strategic approach to identifying potential alternate Church Street/VanDam Street and Washington Street routings, finalize the approved Lake Avenue (Route 29) alternate route and examine the several previously considered “bypass” alignments and access their current feasibility.  Perhaps such tasks could be performed by a city council appointed “working group.”

1.         Re-establish Traffic Safety Division

The April Report also quantified loss of enforcement generated revenue, likely in the range of $2 million to $3 million, since the early 2010’s.  Those familiar with the Report may recall that during the years the Traffic Safety Division operated, total traffic and truck safety inspection citation revenue averaged $221,000 annually.

Immediately following the demise of a staffed, trained and disciplined Traffic Safety Division, average annual enforcement revenue fell to under $100,000.  Over the last five years average annual revenue has further declined to $31,000.

The lost annual revenue alone would have funded 40% to 60% of a three or four officer TSD, including indirect costs.

Since the TSD’s abolition, V and T Law enforcement revenue fell to a low of $26,000 in 2022. The city’s 2024 Revenue Budget anticipates an anemic $30,000. Clearly, the city’s once muscular traffic safety and Vehicle and Traffic Law enforcement program has been abandoned. 

By 2013 Traffic Safety Division had fallen victim to budget cuts, subsequent police layoffs and a policy decision to transfer TSD staff to the Patrol Division.  However, as it became clear that the  FY 2010 budget cuts had been largely unnecessary and the city entered a multi-year period of large general fund balances, no action was taken to restore the TSD.

Enforcement must be seen as an integral part of any renewed effort to reduce heavy and Special Dimension Vehicle (SDV) through traffic and as a disincentive to running overweight and unsafe trucks on city streets, including designated “Access” roads.

Even if the city is ultimately successful in re-routing heavy trucks and SDVs from Church Street, Van Dam and other residential and historic district streets, enforcement of posted limitations must be enforced.  Lake Avenue, for instance, has been posted against vehicles over 5 tons since October 1993 but lack of enforcement now allows SDVs and heavy construction vehicles to ignore with impunity the posted limits, even though an alternate route has long been established.

During the early years of the TSD’s targeted commercial vehicle inspection program (see Chart 1 below) over 36% were removed from service. The dearth of commercial vehicle inspections during the last several years does not allow a measure of the condition of the heavy truck fleet using city streets.  However, if a valid correlation exists, then 1 in every 3 heavy commercial vehicles traveling through the city is in violation of safety, size, weight, or other standards.

Chart 1:

Truck Tickets Issued by TSD & Vehicles Removed from Service, 1991 – 1994   

This data was presented by specific Vehicle and Traffic Law violations: for example, log book violations, unsecured loads, overweight, over length, over width, and out-of-service violations.  Annual tabular summaries included number and type of citation by month. (See tabular summary below).

Of course the end of a dedicated and disciplined traffic safety program in 2013 did not negatively impact on the city’s ability to police commercial and SDV traffic alone, but rather all vehicular movements.

Chart 2 grafts the dramatic increase in Vehicle and Traffic Law enforcement following the establishment of the TSD and the precipitous decline after its dismantling.  In fact, Chart 2  clearly shows that recent enforcement as measured by citation output, is significantly less than in the years prior to  TSD creation.

The most recent Saratoga Springs Police Department’s Annual Report includes four 2024 Department Goals.  The first is “Create a Traffic Safety Unit to enhance vehicular and pedestrian safety in the city.” 

Now – in anticipation of FY 2025 budget preparation – is the time to give definition to the role and function, and the equipment, training, staffing and budgetary needs necessary to re-establish a strong TSD.   A rededicated, disciplined commitment to Vehicle and Traffic Law enforcement is the single most immediate step that can be taken to address the very legitimate truck traffic safety concerns and the running of SDVs and heavy trucks on posted city streets.

Define the Status of Previously Approved and Codified Alternate Routes

The April Report also found that certain alternate heavy commercial traffic re-routings, previously approved by NYS Department of Transportation and codified by City Council action, are no longer enforced. Lake Avenue, for example, has been posted against vehicles over 5 ton since October 18, 1993,  For many years now heavy truck and Special Dimension Vehicles well in excess of 5 tons run free, both east and west bound, without fear of interdiction.

Table 1 below lists all city street segments off limits to all trucks in excess of 5 tons but there is no evidence (truck fines or truck tickets)  that these restrictions have been routinely enforced in recent time.

Table 1: City Charter § 225-79 Schedule XIV, Trucks Over Certain Weights Excluded.

In accordance with the provisions of § 225-22, trucks in excess of the weights indicated are hereby excluded from the following streets or parts of streets, except for the pickup and delivery of materials on such streets:

            Street                                  Weight Limit (Tons)                  Location

Adams Road [Added 2-16-2016]                    5                 Cady Hill Boulevard to City limit

Buff Road                                                        5          Between Church St. & Washington Street

Circular Street                                                 5          Between Broadway & High Rock Avenue

Circular Street                                                 5               Between Spring Street & Broadway

Congress Avenue                                           5              Between West Avenue & New Street

Congress Street                                              5           Between Franklin Street & Federal Street

Denton Road                                                  5       Between Seward Street & Locust Grove Road

Empire Avenue                                               5         Between Congress Avenue & Joseph Street

Excelsior Springs Avenue                              5          Between Lake Avenue & Excelsior Avenue

Table 1: Continued

Street                              Weight Limit (Tons)                         Location

Gilbert Road                                                    5          Between Lake Avenue & Union Avenue

Glenmore Avenue                                           5     Between West Circular Street & Grand Avenue

Grand Avenue                                                 5            Between Franklin Street & City Line

Grand Avenue                                                 5         Between West Avenue &Franklin Street

Joseph Street                                                  5    Between West Circular Street & Empire Avenue

Kirby Road                                                      5      Between Church Street & Washington Street

Lake Avenue [Added 10-18-1993]               5               Broadway to Weibel Avenue

Lincoln Avenue                                               5        Between Broadway & Ballston Avenue

Lincoln Avenue                                               5         Between Broadway & Nelson Avenue

Locust Grove Road                                         5           Between Church Street & City line

Pine Road                                                       5     Between Washington Street & Grand Avenue

Seward Street                                                 5           Between Church Street & City line

Slade Road                                                     5     Between Washington Street & Grand Avenue

Spring Street                                                   5           Between Circular Street & Broadway

Union Avenue                                                 5        Between Henning Road & Circular Street

West Circular Street                                       5         Between Broadway & Glenmore Avenue

The Weible Avenue alternate truck route must be finally addressed.  I am of the view that the city can unilaterally act to direct heavy west bound Lake Avenue truck traffic to Weibel Avenue because all of Weibel is a NYS DOT designated “Access” highway.  To deny its use as the alternate route defies the very reason that Weibel was improved and extended as part of the original Northway construction and subsequently designated an “Access” highway by DOT.

A July 29, 1993, letter (following page) from then DOT Regional Director Richard A. Maitino to the then city public safety commissioner, attests to what was then thought to be final step necessary to designate Weibel as the alternative westbound route and the posting of Lake: i. e., review by DOT’s Office of Legal Affairs.  No final DOT legal opinion is found in the record. 

Not to allow commercial traffic to run on a designated “Access” highway (Weibel Avenue) turns reason on its head.  The burden falls on the commissioner of transportation to explain and justify why a local roadway, long designated as an “Access” highway pursuant to state law (V & T Law, Section 1627, p. 7)), rule and regulation, cannot serve as an alternate truck route simply because it spills into an adjacent municipality.

Presumably, the adjacent community in this case (the Town of Wilton) did not exercise its statutory right (see V & T Law, Sec. 1627, p. 7) to object to the original “Access” designation.

Conversely, Lake Avenue is NOT an access road.  Dominate land uses along the two mile corridor include single and multi-family residential uses, two elementary schools, a nursery school, churches, the city’s largest recreation field and related facilities.  Additionally, the city has installed and signed designated east and westbound bicycle lanes on Lake which further argues against SDVs and other heavy commercial traffic on the corridor.

Vehicle & Traffic Law Section 1627

Designation of qualifying highways and access highways

(a) The commissioner of transportation shall, for the purposes of this chapter, by rule or regulation, designate qualifying highways which shall be highways on the national system of interstate and defense highways or federal-aid primary highways.

(b) The department of transportation, for the purposes of this chapter, shall develop criteria to determine a highway providing access between qualifying highways and terminals, facilities for food, fuel, repairs, and rest and, in addition, for points of loading and unloading for household goods carriers. The department may, by order, rule or regulation, designate public highways within the state as access highways. The department of transportation, upon the request of the legislative body of any city or village, or of a county superintendent of highways, or of a town board may, by order, rule or regulation, designate other city or village streets, or county roads, or town highways, respectively, as access highways. Before designating any county, town, city or village, street or highway as an access highway, the commissioner of transportation shall notify the municipality having jurisdiction over such street or highway of the need for such local access road and solicit comments thereon. If objections to the designation are filed by the municipality having jurisdiction over a particular street or highway, the commissioner of transportation shall set, as soon as practicable, a public informational meeting. If the commissioner of transportation finds, after holding a public informational meeting, that his proposed designation is proper and reasonable, prior to filing a notice of agency action he shall so notify the municipality in writing setting forth his findings and justifications for such designation. The municipality shall have the right of judicial review pursuant to article seventy-eight of the civil practice law and rules.

(c) In order to implement the provisions of this section, the commissioner of transportation may issue a permit pursuant to subdivision fifteen of § 385 (Dimensions and weights of vehicles) or may sign such public highways.

end

May 23, 2024

Lew Benton