Residents of a town in Illinois are complaining that a new truck route enforced by the city is putting their children at risk.
Clarksville Road in Pittsfield, Illinois became a designated truck route in the spring of 2017 as part of the city’s attempt to keep big rigs on certain roads in order to reduce safety and traffic concerns, as well as damage to the road. However, Clarksville Road also happens to be home to South Elementary School, and local parents are concerned that small children and large trucks just don’t mix.
“The kids darting in and out of the cars… It’s not safe with big trucks coming through here,’ said local resident Bob Lacy.
“There’s a bump right here in front of my driveway and when the big trucks hit it, my house shakes… So you know they’re not going 25 miles per hour, or 20 miles per hour for the school.”
At first, the new truck route didn’t seem as prevalent, but now that one of the busiest seasons for agriculture in Illinois has begun, parents are noticing an increase in truck traffic – a fact they pointed out at the most recent school board meeting, reported WGEM News.
“I know it’s a busy time right now for agriculture and parents picking up their children,” Pike County Deputy Sheriff Jordan Gerard said.
“We just ask everybody, not only the ones in agriculture, but the ones in the community too, to both be on high alert for each other.”
Although the superintendent pointed out that the school district has already installed stop signs with flashing lights to slow the tractor trailers down, parents are not satisfied and say that, with the amount of truck traffic traveling along the road, something more has to be done.
The school board has since requested that the city reconsider the recent truck route change, moving the route to Memorial Street rather than Clarksville Road – a change that would require an entire 2019 renovation project originally meant for Clarksville Road to be dedicated to upgrading Memorial Street in order for it to be able to handle 80,000 pound semi trucks.
For now, local police officers simply urge parents and truck drivers alike to be extra cautious while traveling through the area.
