Captain Henneberry Enforcement Update: 8/31/2023
- Police Dept. Captain Henneberry
- Sep 2, 2023
- 2 min read
Good Afternoon,
I looked at our selective enforcement efforts along 13th Street since the new signs were installed on July 27. FPD has conducted 15 selective enforcement operations along 13th Street of varying durations, from 15-70 minutes. Several of the selective enforcement operations were conducted by me. (I am happy to get out of the office.)
I observed a violation on 8/23, which was a tractor-trailer traversing the entire length of 13th Street. I pulled the truck over in the 800 block of N. East Street. The driver immediately apologized, said he saw the sign after committing to his turn, and was using GPS. I explained the appropriate truck route and issued a warning. The driver’s excuses were all concerns mentioned during the workshop and at the Mayor and Board meeting.
As far as I can tell, other officers have not observed other violations or issued citations, but I have to do more digging. Clearly there are other violations occurring, and we will continue looking for them.
Please understand that 13th Street is a pilot phase, and adjusting to the revised ordinance is a work in progress. Any lessons learned can help us adjust before moving on to other streets. DPW-Engineering is gathering input from other jurisdictions to help determine the best signage and strategic locations for “Truck Route” signs. DPW-Engineering is also working with the City’s GIS Dept. for NAC 7 mapping that could help truck drivers avoid restricted streets.
It’s also important to note that there are exemptions in the ordinance. In specific (and rare) cases where a long truck pulls onto 13th Street to deliver to the East Street Liberty station, we would not expect that driver to back out onto East Street to exit. So a driver using a portion of 13th Street to exit from a delivery would not be a violation. Also, 26 foot box trucks are large, but the gross vehicle weight cannot exceed 26,000 lbs. Anyone with a class C license can operate these, and they are not commercial vehicles per the ordinance. However, we will continue to reach out to the businesses near East Street that have 26 foot box trucks to get them to use more appropriate routes. I’ve already spoken with a representative from Food Pro today, and I’ll be contacting management at US Foods.
A comment by Alderwoman Kuzemchak at the July 6th Mayor and Board meeting resonated with me. She said something to the effect that some residents may be disappointed with enforcement or the results thereof. It’s true that we will not be able stop all violations, so there may be disappointment. Residents will see violations, and I understand this is frustrating. The expectation has to be in line with the reasonable efforts FPD and DPW are employing.
I will be at the NAC 7 meeting on September 5 to talk about this in person.
Thanks,
Capt. Kirk Henneberry
Frederick Police Department
Operational Services Bureau Commander
Thanks Captain Henneberry!
Perhaps the signs need to include the specific weight restrictions? It would be helpful for these drivers to have the signage posted on Motter, Market and East street so there is no excuse. The prior comment here about the FoodPro driver saying he had to be on the street was disheartening. They know where they are supposed to drive. The no truck signs have been up for many years however were not enforced.
Today is Labor Day and last week an 18-wheel Food Pro Truck drove done W 14th between Motter and Market. I said to the driver he’s not supposed to be on our street and he said they have to be. This was just last week so end of August. I did not have my phone on me and often don’t when commercial vehicles drive by, but they do it daily and there’s been no enforcement to our knowledge.