Photo Credit: ©2024 Google. Image Capture Aug. 2022
A proposed ordinance amendment to restrict semi-tractor trailers and other large equipment from driving on Pleasant Ridge Road in Carroll will not advance, failing with all but one council member opposed to the change. Residents on this street in southern Carroll are pushing city officials to reduce the number of trucks that use Pleasant Ridge on a daily basis. The council hosted a public hearing during their Monday, Sept. 23 meeting, and one resident, Maureen Beck, says it is a multi-faceted issue.
Data collected by the Carroll Police Department between Sept. 11 and Sept. 17 shows the road sees between 1,300 and 1,500 vehicles per day, but less than 10 percent of those vehicles are three-axled or larger. Another Pleasant Ridge resident, Matt Greteman, says the road was never designed to handle that volume of truck traffic.
According to the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA), roads that see 50 to 500 trucks per day have a typical slab thickness of 5.5 to 9.0 inches. At-Large Councilman LaVern Dirkx believes the ordinance change is unnecessary, as increased enforcement of existing ordinances should address residents’ speed and safety concerns.
At-Large Councilwoman JJ Schreck asked Police Chief Brad Burke how enforcement of the ordinance in its proposed form would work.
A motion to approve the first reading of the ordinance amendment failed, with only Ward 4 Councilwoman Carolyn Siemann voting in support. City officials directed Burke to increase enforcement on Pleasant Ridge Road and investigate installing permanent dynamic radar speed signs on the route. Video from this segment of Monday’s Carroll City Council meeting is included below.
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