North Ridgeville looks to increase fees for truck thru traffic

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — The city will consider dramatically increasing fines for trucks caught using back streets in the city in an effort to reduce thru truck traffic. On Monday, City Council's Committee of the Whole voted to move an amendment from Councilman Bruce Abens, R-3rd Ward, forward to Council's next regular meeting for consideration. The amendment to the city's codified ordinances would increase fines for thru trucks from $75 to $150 on first offense, and $500 for a second offense within two years. "Thru trucks" refers to any truck or other vehicle weighing more than 6 tons that uses North Ridgeville streets not designated for trucking use simply for the purpose of traveling through the city. It does not apply to trucks making deliveries on side streets in the city. Abens said that he was motivated to draft and present the amendment by the number of complaints he had received from residents about trucks using side and residential streets to traverse the city, as well as his own observations. "After speaking with our police department — and specifically the two officers responsible for maintaining traffic — they expressed that they gave out many warnings," Abens said. "And many times, the only reason they give a citation is because warnings were ignored and they caught the truck again on that particular road. Apparently, verbal warnings don't help. There have even been truckers who have been cited, fined and again the fine is $75 plus court costs — sometimes $100 — and they are still on the road." In determining how much to charge for violations of the city's code, Abens said that he spoke with police and North Ridgeville Prosecutor Sean Kelleher and determined that $150 would "send the message" and that he hoped the threat of the $500 second offense would be enough to eliminate repeat offenders. "Hopefully, at the time that they receive and pay for the penalty, they will hear about the $500 fine," Abens said. "Expecting our (police) officers to stop every truck is unrealistic, they don't have enough time in the day, you don't have enough officers to cite every truck. So the ones they do catch, hopefully word will spread throughout the trucking industry; don't travel the back roads of North Ridgeville, because it will cost you. … For many of these drivers, it hurts. And, quite frankly, the reason many of us don't speed is because a speeding ticket hurts." Councilman Paul Wolanski, D-at Large, said that while he approved of raising the fines, he also thought it was important that the city have a conversation about increasing enforcement, so that the legislation was not going unused. "I am OK giving a warning, but if we don't enforce the laws, then why bother writing the laws?" Wolanski said. "I agree with Mr. Abens' presumption that, once you start ticketing, the word will be out." Abens said that he felt that officers may have been "too compassionate," worrying about the impact that a ticket would have on a truck driver's livelihood. The main reason that Abens was concerned about truck thru traffic, he said, was not about the wear-and-tear on the city's roads caused by heavy trucks, but rather the potential danger of trucks overturning in residential areas. "For me, it is a safety issue, not necessarily a maintenance issue," he said. "... I do know for a fact, 18-wheel gas trucks have gone through on one of the roads in my district, and if that thing ever overturns, that neighborhood is in big trouble." North Ridgeville resident Bernard Garcia, who said that he himself had a commercial driver's license, or CDL, suggested some minor tweaks to the amendments that he thought would make it more relevant to North Ridgeville's issues, but was generally supportive of the move. "As somebody who has a CDL and has hazmat (hazardous material) training and stuff, we know not to go certain places, and there are drivers who do it anyway," Garcia said. "So they do need to be held accountable." With the unanimous approval of the Committee of the Whole, Abens' proposed amendment will go before Council for consideration at its next regular meeting on Aug. 3. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.