On April 15 your correspondent took this photo of a “big rig,” a diesel powered tractor with an attached, very long, cargo carrying trailer, trying to navigate the corner from Montague to Hicks Street. Now Mary Frost in The Eagle has chronicled how this same truck, which makes deliveries to Key Food Montague,
has been unleashing chaos on the streets of Brooklyn Heights for over a year, and residents near Montague Street, the neighborhood’s main shopping strip, are bursting with frustration at the city’s seeming inability to solve the problem.
Ms. Frost’s story describes how the truck has damaged other vehicles while making tight turns, and blocked emergency vehicles, forcing them to take circuitous routes. She quotes City Councilmember Lincoln Restler, who noted that trucks of that size are not allowed on narrow streets like those in Brooklyn Heights, that he has worked with the Department of Transportation to modify provisions for delivery truck parking, unfortunately to no effect, and with the 84th Precinct to improve enforcement. State Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon is also quoted, saying “the law banning oversized trucks from city streets is not new” and that “it’s being ignored.” She suggested it was up to Mayor Adams to take action. Ms. Frost also quotes Brooklyn Heights Association Executive Director Lara Birnback, who said, “[t]he BHA has raised this issue numerous times with all of the involved stakeholders and unfortunately, the issue continues to frustrate.”
Finally, Ms. Frost quotes the owners of Key Food Montague, who say they have tried many times to get the truck’s owner, Unified Natural Foods, Inc. (“UNFI”), to deal with the problem. Co-owner Enrico Palazio said he sent UNFI a letter reading, in part, “[w]homever assigns our driver please instruct them not to block Hicks Street.” However, it doesn’t seem this instruction could always be followed so long as the “big rig” is being used. If parked vehicles are making the turn from Montague to Hicks difficult, the driver’s only option would be to continue to the end of Montague and try to turn onto Pierrepont Place, which could present the same problem. The only effective solution to the problem is to return to the earlier practice of using smaller trucks. This would necessitate more frequent deliveries, and be more costly.
