NY hearing held for big truck-local road proposal

September 25, 2008 08:55 am

— SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — State regulators have work to do before opponents and advocates are happy with proposed regulations to keep big trucks off upstate New York's local roads.
More than 150 people turned out Wednesday night for a hearing hosted in Syracuse by the state Department of Transportation.
Gov. David Paterson told regulators earlier this year to develop regulations for large truck routes because growing numbers of truckers have been using state highways and local roads as shortcuts to save money on gas and avoid tolls on interstate routes.
The proposal would make trucks 45 feet or longer stick to interstates and other major highways and use lesser routes only when they provide exclusive access to and from their destination and under some exceptional conditions, such as severe weather.