NEWNC Letter Against Hazardous Cargo Trucks in North End

Below is a letter sent by the North End/Waterfront Neighborhood Council to the U.S. Dept of Transportation. It supports the City of Boston’s request for a 15-month extension to finish its crucial public safety study regarding hazardous material trucks in the North End. It also states our position to oppose any routing of hazmat trucks through the North End, specifically Commercial St.

Click here to read the PDF format of the NEWNC letter.

June 15, 2010

Anne S. Ferro
Administrator
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Suite W60-300 Washington, DC 20590

Dear Administrator Ferro:

Federally mandated changes to regulations that govern the transport of hazardous materials through the City of Boston have raised a number of serious concerns among local residents and businesses, including safety issues.

The North End/Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC) serves as an advisory board in municipal affairs to the City of Boston. Comprised of twelve elected members, NEWNC addresses issues which impact the community and participates in the City’s decisions which affect the quality of life in the North End/Waterfront neighborhood.

It is our understanding that new guidelines are scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2010, and that trucks carrying hazardous material will then be allowed to pass through our neighborhood during the daytime. We are extremely concerned about the negative impact of this decision and strongly urge the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to grant the City of Boston’s request for a 15-month extension to complete a public safety analysis essential to protecting our historical neighborhood from the dangers of hazardous cargo vehicles.

We believe that the FMCSA’s preemption of the daytime ban and the re-routing which allows hazardous material trucks on Commercial Street create a grave danger for North End/Waterfront residents and visitors whose safety should be the first priority. This ruling not only promotes cut-through hazardous material traffic through our neighborhood but it was made without representation from the community. Most disturbingly, our voices were not heard before this ruling was made and, thus, industry concerns were allowed to trump those of the community. This is simply wrong, unjust and must be corrected.

Despite its name, Commercial Street is comprised of residential buildings, parks, recreational facilities, senior housing, a nursery school and neighborhood businesses. Our children cross this street to access the neighborhood’s little league fields, community pool and skating rink. Along
Commercial Street is the Harborwalk, which provides public access to our historical Boston waterfront. In addition, the famous Freedom Trail, a tourist destination with three million visitors annually, runs along Commercial Street. Recently, our residents recorded frequent speeding and traffic violations by trucks carrying hazardous materials. Needless to say, this is an extremely serious safety concern and one that should not be ignored by the FMCSA.

We respectfully urge the FMCSA and the USDOT to grant the City the additional time required to conduct the public process to determine appropriate time prohibitions and routing. This is critical to protecting the public safety of our residents and visitors. During the process to complete the public safety study, the daytime ban should be reinstated and the hazardous material vehicles should be banned from Commercial Street. Further, we request that in the longer term these vehicles to be banned from our neighborhood and put on an alternate route.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Stephen Passacantilli
President, North End/Waterfront Neighborhood Council

cc: President Barak Obama
Governor Deval Patrick
US Senator John F. Kerry
US Senator Scott Brown
US Representative Michael Capuano
The Honorable Ray LaHood