Deena Winter reports that trucks on Highway 2 will have to
stay to the right from now on. Supposedly the goal is to improve traffic flow by preventing trucks from driving side-by-side and impeding other vehicles. But then Ms. Winter quotes Public Works director Karl Fredrickson as saying "Some of those trucks -- once they get going, they don’t like to slow down" and "the third one back doesn’t like to stop". Neither quote has anything to do with side-by-side driving. In fact, the second quote tells what happens when trucks are
not allowed to drive side-by-side: they caravan, and all the trucks in the line try to stick together, red lights be damned.
So I'm confused. Is the city trying to solve a problem or make an existing problem worse?
In my experience with Highway 2 -- I have lived within 1/2 mile of Highway 2 since 1981, and I have lived within 2 blocks of Highway 2 since 2001 -- trucks driving side-by-side is not a problem, or at least not the problem we need to be solving. It simply doesn't happen very often because trucks already tend to stay in the right lane. The trucks that drive in the left lane tend to be empty and are thus less likely to bog down traffic.
No, the problem we need to solve is trucks blowing through red lights. (If we're being honest we really should talk about
all vehicles running red lights, but since the topic here is trucks, I'll stick to that.) There are a couple solutions. One is to require trucks to obey a lower speed limit, making them more likely to be able to stop at red lights. Since empty trucks can stop pretty easily, the speed limit could be made to apply just to trucks over some specified weight. The second solution is to install flashing "Prepare to Stop" signs. Improved enforcement would also help.
I agree that something needs to be done to improve traffic safety on Highway 2. I have seen many close calls over the years, and I am amazed that there haven't been more deaths along the road. If you ask me, forcing trucks to the right isn't the solution we're looking for.