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Carmel mayor: Ban truck traffic on Keystone
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Oct 25, 2007 12:26 PM CDT

Carmel seeks Keystone truck ban
Mayor Jim Brainard wants to limit truck traffic on Keystone Ave.
He made the proposal before the Carmel City Council.
The proposal goes along with the planned renovation of Keystone Ave with roundabouts replacing stop lights.
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Carmel - Detours may be ahead for truckers who want to drive through Carmel. The mayor is proposing banning large trucks of five roads through Carmel neighborhoods. The biggest section is Keystone Avenue from 96th north to US 31.
What has long been a quick way for truck drivers could become the wrong way. It would mean no more semis in the mix along Keystone Avenue's 4.2 miles through Carmel, if Mayor Jim Brainard's proposal wins City Council approval.
Mayor Brainard explained. "We have a problem on Keystone Avenue with cross-country trucks blowing lights. It's a constant problem and those who have lived here know that and we see it every day."
Earlier this year, Brainard announced a plan to rebuild the Keystone corridor. Minus the big rigs, Mayor Brainard envisions Keystone's stoplights giving way to roundabouts. Landscaping and sound-proofing morph the highway into a parkway.
That sounds like a kinder, gentler Keystone to Pat Lovett, who's spent two decades within earshot of 18-wheelers.
"Sometimes when they're engine braking to slow down, the rap - rap - rap is annoying," said Lovett. "And I'm looking forward to them not being on Keystone."
But the project's not quite ready for a green light. Several drivers and representatives of trucking companies appeared at the Carmel City Council meeting Wednesday night to express their concerns. They listened cautiously, along with their attorneys. The ban on trucks weighing over 16,000 pounds would allow exceptions for local deliveries including mail carriers, construction equipment and materials and heavy box trucks.
One driver says he can live with detours on other trips, but disagrees with the mayor's premise that truckers pose a safety risk.
"I have seen many of my neighbors, in SUV's and bigger cars than I drive, run red lights and I feel more in fear of them than I do the trucks."
Mayor Brainard says he's targeting interstate truck drivers. A committee will now study the ban and make sure local businesses remain free to drive around town. The whole council could vote on it as soon as November 19th.