Lawrence Residents Worried About Truck Traffic On Quiet Residential Street

LAWRENCE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Residents are raising concerns about truck traffic in their Long Island neighborhood.

Residents of Lawrence Lane in Lawrence said many truck drivers will often run through stop signs.

"Early in the morning and the evening it gets worse, you can't even get through here," a longtime resident said. "It's pretty bad."

Resident Shara Sita said one truck driver recently knocked down part of her fence, and being a new mom she worries about her daughter.

"It's not just me," Sita tells CBS2's Jennifer McLogan. "My neighbors, we all want peace in our home, in our neighborhood."

Even clipping and smashing part of their front fence, neighbors say their Lawrence neighborhood is inundated with tractor trailers and heavy trucks appearing to ignore posted signs.

Sita said although signs warn there are no trucks allowed over 8,000 pounds, they also state "except local deliveries," and that is why the trucks are allowed down the residential street, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported.

"This route which is a really residential area, it's not really meant for commercial, it's not meant for these size trucks. This neighborhood isn't meant for it," Sita said.

Some truckers say taking shortcuts down Lawrence Lane and Buena Vista Avenue saves a lot of time when making deliveries to nearby Bay Harbor Mall and stores or warehouses along Burnside Avenue.

The police department enforces the weight and delivery restrictions, and the Town of Hempstead said it is looking into any possibilities to help ease residents concerns.