Big truck ban is small, may be just the start
12/27/2007

ST. CHARLES COUNTY — One lane of Interstate 70 through St. Charles County will become off limits to large trucks next week due to a piece of legislation enacted earlier this year Jefferson City.

On Jan. 1, most 18-wheelers will be banned from the far left lane along six miles stretching from about Mid Rivers Mall Drive in St. Peters to Zumbehl Road in St. Charles. The bill applies to trucks with a registered weight of more than 24,000 pounds. Such rigs will be allowed in the left lane only if emergency conditions require it, or if other lanes are closed for construction.

The bill allows the ban on I-70 only within three miles of Missouri Highway 370, and does not apply to other interstates used heavily by trucks. Rep. Vicki Schneider, R-O'Fallon, author of the measure, said, "If I had my druthers, the ban would be on all interstates."

Drivers in the region are pressing for a similar ban on Interstate 44, where narrower lanes have automobiles rubbing elbows with large trucks. Extending the restriction would require a legislative change in Jefferson City. It cannot be made single-handedly by the Missouri Department of Transportation.


"Most people feel trucks are a menace and a danger to them on the highways," said Rep. John Griesheimer, R-Washington, who supported the law. "Anything we can do to curb the trucks and provide more rules and regulations for them, the better off we are."

Executives of the Missouri Motor Carriers Association, a trade group for the trucking industry, were not available for comment Wednesday.

Rigs make up about 21 percent of I-70's traffic in urban areas, and 28 percent in rural sections, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Truck traffic on I-70 is growing 2 percent to 3 percent a year, state figures show. Other traffic is growing about 1 percent annually.

Ten states have similar bans on trucks in the far left lanes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, including California, Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan, Indiana and Utah.

Some Missouri legislators have tried to ban trucks from left lanes of all urban interstates in past years, but without success. The issue is expected to come up again next year, said Rep. Neal St. Onge, R-Ellisville, head of the House Transportation Committee.

"We'll look real hard at it," he said.

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It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood;."
THEODORE ROOSEVELT (Paris Sorbonne,1910)

Similar legislation was enacted here in FTW TX a couple of years ago on I-30. Hasn't hurt truckers much as this is all 4 to 6 lanes wide with all exits to the right. Police love it. They sit on Hulen St. bridge where restrictions begin several days a week and look for rigs not complying. Most seem to have adapted to it pretty well. Guess it just depends on the road conditions and terrain as to how it works in other areas.

This entire article makes me mad and the comments by the brain dead politicians, just go to show you don't have to have any common sense in order to be a politician.
But this comment really proves how stupid they are.
Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't almost all of the urban interstates in MO TWO LANE each direction??????????????????????????



And this one...........I'm at a loss for site rule friendly words to describe this moron and his statements. A lot of folks might thinks trucks are a menace but they sure do not drive like it when around trucks. Pulling out in front of a truck, cutting a truck off, hanging out in the no zone mile after mile, etc etc etc.
I give up, I quit. Idiots like this that have NO clue about how America's truckers keep America moving shouldn't even be allowed to ride in the back seat of a short bus, let alone be a politician!

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Amen, couldn't have said it any better myself! Hog tie them and make them ride with a driver for a week. Let them see what 4 wheelers do to you guys, and they would change their tune.

Its time for dash cams in trucks. Post the stuff all over the internet and make the law making morons watch them! They have no clue!

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I agree. All interstates! Lets see how long it would take these idiots to figure out that their lives depend on trucks. Back to the caveman days we go!





Thats because they're still trying to figure out how these people can be so brain-dead.

let them go right ahead and close down the entire interstate system for trucks. When people get to the store and can't seem to remember which isle the tampons are on or which isle the viagra is on, they might realize that it's still on the truck which is making it's way from The Hamptons on Long Island to New Haven ,CT. via "the scenic route".

this one is a menace to me

I live not far from that interstate where the ban will take place, The highway is 4 to 5 lanes wide and can pretty much cruise right through there, so I really don't think it will cause much of a problem, I do how ever understand what is going on and it is not right, lately we have had problems of tractor tailer crashes, most cause by cars, acouple were the truck drivers fault, mainly speed, but the politicians seem to think that it is always the truck drivers fault, never the driver of a car that cuts in front of the truck, St. peters politicians are the snobbiest buch of people you'll ever meet, they think thier town is better then any other town in missouri, and its not. You can bet that when you drive through there after the 1st that there will be cops all over the road in that area to give out tickets, so watch yourself guys and gals. I also heard that they are trying to do that to interstate 70 all the way to K.C. so look for that in the future...

Biekr

I knew I would get some sympathy from you guys. These idiots are the one's who are making the laws that we have to live by.
Do a Google on the lawmakers mentioned and see what other brilliant idea's they have come up with. It will take you to MO's state site where you can tell the other legislation they have sponsored. Geez, the female rep mentioned lives in Dogtown in St. Louis for crying out loud! No trucks there for sure.

__________________
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood;."
THEODORE ROOSEVELT (Paris Sorbonne,1910)