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PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. For Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer, the longstanding issue of keeping large trucks from traveling on Bedford Road is one that the village can fight, but may never win.
We cant patrol the area 24 hours a day and we cant have someone lurking in the bushes to catch every truck that goes by, Scherer said.
Commercial vehicles weighing more than 5 tons are barred from Bedford Road, which runs through the heart of Pleasantville. Scherer and the village board have recognized in the past that trucks will often use Bedford Road to avoid traffic on Manville Road, which runs parallel. In a poll taken by The Daily Voice in June, residents voted Bedford Road as having the worst traffic in the village. Some residents such as Michelle Lucia say that not enough is being done to keep the trucks away.
I cant imagine why our Police Department is unable to end the problem or correct it, said Lucia, who lived on Bedford Road.
Scherer said the police monitor the area for illegal vehicles at certain points throughout the day. Lucia suggested that they should be monitoring at a specific time of day.
If they go out there in the early morning around 6:30 a.m. or 6:45 a.m. and sit on any side street along Bedford Road, they will find an illegal truck, Lucia said.
Scherer added that although the village would like to ban the trucks from Bedford Road, it is difficult given the circumstances.
We have a small Police Department, so we cant have someone permanently stationed, Scherer said. The Pleasantville Police Department recently added its 22nd officer.
Obviously we dont want trucks on Bedford Road, Scherer said. Its against the law, and its properly signed for that.
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