Residents on Truck Traffic: 'Safety Should Be No. 1 Concern'

For two years, residents say, it’s been happening.

Truck drivers, intent on avoiding heavy traffic, have been cutting down Abbeywood Drive, relying on old maps or incorrect GPS data that tells them the quiet side street will take them out to the intersection of Dalhart and Veterans Parkway.

The fact that the truck traffic is prohibited on the residential street — and that a road reconstruction project has turned Abbeywood into a cul-de-sac with no outlet to the main roads — hasn’t deterred them, according to homeowner Joe Schwartz.

And for two years, Schwartz said, he and his neighbors have been asking the village to do something about it.

“The road is not classed for truck traffic, but they still keep coming and then drive over the curb to get to the street as if the curb did not exist,” Schwartz said in an email, adding he has photos and videos of semi-trucks driving over the curb to get out to Dalhart.

“Now they can’t turn around, so they just keep on going,” Schwartz said.

Village Manager Steve Gulden said officials are well aware of the problem.

For years, truck drivers would cut down Abbeywood Drive, using the residential street as a cut-through to get to the main roads.

“The big problem that’s happening is trucks are getting lost trying to avoid the major roads,” Gulden said.

Even though Abbeywood now ends in a cul-de-sac, outdated maps mean truckers continue to use the route to cut their drive times.

“They’re jumping the curb to go back to the main road,” Gulden said.

A “No Outlet” sign posted at Abbeywood and Rockledge has done little to deter them. Schwartz believes that’s because truckers don’t even see it.

“The big issue is there’s no stop sign at that intersection,” he said. “The dead end sign is not in clear view and if we had a stop sign at that intersection, it would force the issue and prevent safety issues in the future.”

Gulden said there are no plans for a stop sign, but the village intends to erect additional signage warning truckers of the dead end.

Police patrols have also increased in the area, resulting in several truck drivers being ticketed, Gulden said.

“We’re also doing landscaping and outcropping in the cul-de-sac so the trucks see they can’t drive over it,” he said. “If they do, they’re going to get stuck.”

Safety is the biggest concern of Abbeywood residents, Schwartz said, adding neighbors have considered circulating a petition to convince the village to push for a stop sign at the intersection.

“There’s a children’s bus stop for three of our schools” on the street, Schwartz said. “Safety should [be the] number one concern since several children live on Abbeywood, but we feel the police and village are not addressing the issue.”

Gulden said new signage is expected to be in place at Abbeywood and Rockledge within two to four weeks.