Below is the form letter I send to any truck business owner witnessed or cited by APD traveling on 38½ St -- have yet to get a response -- the map graphic mentioned shows 38½  between I-35 and Airport with Maplewood School circled -- recipients include:

Suburban Propane, Co Goodwill Industries Lonestar Food Service Private Dump Hyside Wrecker Service Oak Farms Dairy Texas Meat Purveyors City Produce Budweiser Austin Seafood Products

American Freight Diana Granger, COA Attorney Ozarka Bill Stockton, COA Public Works Smith Contracting Co. Scott Feldman, COA Public Works, Transp. Div. Consolidated Freight Karen Glynn, COA Public Works, Transp. Div. Tarmac TNT Bestway COA Austin Energy

Dear Business Owner,

You are receiving this letter because one of your trucks was recently witnessed traveling on E. 38½ St. between Airport Blvd. and Interstate 35 (see map below). This segment of E. 38 St. is a posted No Truck zone, and has been so posted for at least eight years. A truck is defined as any vehicle with six (6) or more wheels (City of Austin Ordinance 930513-H).

We are requesting your help with enforcing this prohibited truck zone. We understand that your company is conducting business and making deliveries in this general area of Austin, and that using E. 38½ St. as a cut through in either direction may save your drivers some time. But Maplewood Elementary School (see circled building on map) fronts on E. 38½ St., children attending Maplewood daily cross and travel E. 38½ St. to school. There have already been several documented accidents involving adult pedestrians and cars being hit by trucks at the intersection of E. 38½ St. and Cherrywood Rd. Waiting for any more accidents involving adult or child pedestrians and a commercial vehicle is simply not acceptable to the residents of our neighborhood. The potential for this conflict is especially acute between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., when truck traffic is greatest. Please note we are also coordinating with the Austin Police Department, Charlie Sector, Patrol and License and Weights, in enforcing this No Truck zone.

We know and trust that your drivers are safety conscious, but this stretch of E. 38½ St. is posted as prohibited to trucks precisely to avoid a tragic accident for which no one person, but rather all of us, would bear blame. cont.

Please adopt a company directive not to use E. 38½ St. as a cut through between Airport Blvd. and Interstate 35. Please advise all of your drivers of this policy. If you choose to work with us in this endeavor we would like to give you credit as a friend of the Cherrywood Neighborhood Association. If appropriate, please forward any company policy documentation regarding your company's trucks and this stretch of E. 38½ St.

We welcome any correspondence from your company in response to this letter. We are also open to meeting with you to discuss and share our documentation of your company's trucks, the details of our concerns, or anything else related to this issue.

Sincerely,
 
 

Jim Walker, Chair
Cherrywood Neighborhood Association Steering Committee
cc: Off. Carlos Casas, Charlie 5 District Representative
Commander Robert Dahlstrom, Charlie Sector
Mayor and Councilmembers