Lawrence residents want big trucks off their block

<p>Residents of a South Shore community want to slam the brakes on large trucks they say are invading their neighborhood.&nbsp;</p>

News 12 Staff

Jun 16, 2017, 2:13 AM

Updated 2,676 days ago

Share:

Residents of a South Shore community want to slam the brakes on large trucks they say are invading their neighborhood.
"The feeling is anguish, frustration, mental anxiety," laments Shara Sita, of Lawrence.
Sita and other residents say big trucks are making tight turns down their small block to reach an industrial park at the other end.
"You're constantly hearing these trucks backing up, trying to squeeze," Sita says. "They idle in front of these homes."
Hempstead Councilman Bruce Blakeman sent the New York Department of Transportation a letter asking officials to put an access ramp from Route 878 so it would be easier for the trucks to get into the industrial park without going through the neighborhood.
"The New York Department of Transportation, Nassau County, and the Town of Hempstead are all collaborating to ease the traffic situation in that whole corridor," Blakeman tells News 12. "We're asking the DOT to come up with a plan that is comprehensive, that will alleviate their issues."
Steven Torres, another resident, says he thinks the situation is getting dangerous.
"They don't yield," he says of the truck drivers. "They don't stop at the stop sign. My own family almost got run over by these trucks."
News 12 spoke with one trucker who asked not to be identified. He agreed that the Route 878 ramp would help.
"We don't like to do it either, but the company is there," he says. "We'd be happy if they built a ramp right off 878. We wouldn't have to go through the neighborhood."
On the other hand, another trucker defended the use of the road.
"We pay taxes just like him," he says. "Why can't we go through their neighborhood? We don't have the right?"
The DOT says it will review the exit ramp request.