Huge Trucks Constantly Take This Illegal Short Cut. The NYPD Doesn't Seem to Care

One Tuesday morning earlier this month, Michael Hassin decided to record just how many giant trucks unlawfully rumbled past his apartment on the Lower East Side. By noon, he'd already filed 55 complaints into the 311 portal.

"It's a ton of construction vehicles," Hassin told Hell Gate. "It's like cement trucks and big waste carting trucks that are just full of debris from, I assume, demolition or construction sites or something."

Hassin lives on Clinton Street, which is the first right turn into Manhattan off the Williamsburg Bridge. Under New York City law, drivers of trucks with at least two axles and six wheels must use designated "truck routes" to navigate the city. The truck routes were established in the 1970s to streamline commercial access to industrial areas, prevent conflicts with residential road use, and to protect other people who use City streets. Drivers may only deviate from the truck routes if they have a delivery address that is not accessible from the route. Even then, they must take the shortest path between their destination and the nearest truck route. 

According to the City's truck route map, the first right turn trucks should be taking off the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan is six blocks to the west, on Allen Street. Instead, the parade of truck drivers use Clinton Street as an illegal shortcut to get from Delancey Street up to East Houston Street. 

Hassin said all the extra truck traffic is causing excessive congestion, blocked bike lanes, noise and air pollution for locals. The software developer said he's lived on Clinton Street about two years, and was shocked when he first noticed the issue.