North Charleston,
SC, truckers squared off at the podium against upset neighbors
Aug. 8 during a city council meeting The (Charleston) Post and
Courier reported. The two sides clashed over the city's efforts
to ban truckers from parking their rigs at home.
The heated
issue surrounds the city's efforts to ban from residential areas
any truck that weighs more than 5 tons, has more than two axles
or stands more than 8 feet tall. The meeting reportedly drew more
than three dozen truckers and area residents.
Truckers
who spoke at the meeting talked of being burdened with having
to pay for parking as well as taking the risk of having unattended
trucks burglarized. Other residents countered that the big rigs
are a nuisance, particularly when truckers drive through quiet
neighborhoods or start their engines early in the morning.
One upset
resident went as far as to refer to trucks as an eye sore for
neighborhoods. "These trucks are fairly big and often times
painted shocking colors."
Only one
council member spoke in favor of the truckers. "Without you,
we don't exist. You bring the things we need."
Council members
who will debate the issue Aug. 14 are expected to vote on the
controversial topic during the Aug. 22 council meeting.
The debate
comes as a number of other Lowcountry communities have taken up
the issue. Berkeley and Dorchester counties and the town of Summerville
have adopted similar laws.
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