Residents of an Indianapolis neighborhood are demanding that truckers stop using a nearby vacant lot as a place to park, claiming that residents have been “personally threatened by some of the drivers” parking there.
Homeowners near South Mickley Avenue and West Morris Street in Indianapolis, Indiana say that the vacant lot down the street used to be occupied by a car rental business, but is now being used as a makeshift truck stop by drivers passing through.
Though it seems like a reasonable use for a vacant lot, the people living nearby are upset, claiming that the semi trucks and their drivers damage the road, leave trash all around the lot, and are even threatening residents that confront them about it, reported CBS 4 Indy.
“They told me they’ll park wherever they want, drive wherever they want and there is nothing I can do about it,” said resident John Kramer.
“[They leave clumps of dirt all over the street] it’s like driving on a cobblestone road,” he said.
“They’re not supposed to be parking here,” Marsha Spears, another resident of the area, said.
“There are no parking signs posted on all the signs leading into the lot, but they ignore them.”
West side neighborhood upset that semi trucks keep parking in vacant lot #4YourMorning https://t.co/3IbiyrvSZg
— CBS4 Indy (@CBS4Indy) September 18, 2018
Investigators have called the tow truck company listed on the no parking signs but were told only that the lot in question is the “problem child of the west side.” The operator then gave them the name of the owner of the lot, Jerry Lashley, who said that he has installed fences and signs to keep semi trucks from using his lot but that they have since been pushed over, and because he does not live close to the lot, there is not much he can do.
“Unfortunately, in this case, the property owner either has to be here and or have someone here to sign off on towing the vehicles,” said City-County Councilor Jared Evans. “Right now, it comes down to this property owner.”
“It’s frustrating. It makes you angry. Nobody should be doing that. Nobody should be parking there,” he said.
Residents aren’t just annoyed at the trash and debris they say are being left around by the tractor trailers, they also say they are concerned for their safety, as they have been confronted by truck drivers while attempting to film them for evidence.
“I’ve been personally threatened by some of the drivers. They’ve come up to my car window when I was taking pictures of their trucks. They’ve threatened me, asked if I wanted to fight,” Spears said.
“It’s very scary.”
City-County Councilor Jared Evans says that he plans to introduce a motion to the council in order to ban the tractor trailers from parking there.
