Detroit truck traffic ordinance could be finalized by fall, councilmember says
DETROIT (FOX 2) - An ordinance to regulate truck traffic in Detroit is in the works amid concerns about worsening air quality in the city.
As smoke from wildfires continues to choke the air with particulate matter while ozone action days populate the summers, fumes from large commercial trucks magnify the problem while traveling through the city's local streets.
Big picture view:
Detroit's District 6 councilmember said a citywide ordinance to regulate truck traffic is in the works, telling the city council on Tuesday she hopes to have a finalized plan by the fall.
Much of Gabriella Santiago-Romero's district has daily interactions with large commercial trucks using side streets to navigate the city. During the weekly council meeting, advocates for regulating truck travel presented on persistent air quality issues and ensuring health impacts.
That includes asthma rates in Detroit, which are more than double the national average.
The Trucks Off Our Streets Coalition said asthma rates are 25-42% higher for those that live within 500 feet of heavily trafficked roadways.
However, semi-trucks often use local roads when traveling around Detroit, bringing loud noises, diesel exhaust, and an increase in dangerous driving to the city.
Local perspective:
Jeffrey Jones, a resident of Hope Village, characterized the problem as one that touches all aspects of the city.
"It's a quality of life issue," he told the council.
Large trucks damage roads and worsen public safety for pedestrians in the area. Trucks that roll by and arrive at any time of day or night, bringing loud noises and vibrating people's homes.
Big rigs and little streets; Detroit weighs new rules to balance trucking jobs, neighborhood health
Detroit has a complicated relationship with trucking. The industry has brought income and jobs to the city's residents, but an expected increase in traffic over the next decade concerns people already fed up with noise and air pollution.
The other side:
This is not the first time an ordinance to regulate truck traffic in Detroit has been proposed.
Former District 6 councilmember Raquel Castañeda‐López worked on one in 2021, lamenting the big rigs that drove by her home throughout the day.
The issue is a complicated one because of commercial trucking's role in the local economy. Many residents who live in Detroit, specifically in the southwest end of the city, are truck drivers.
Detroit is also a major hub for international trade due to its proximity with the U.S.-Canadian border.
The opening of the new Gordie Howe Bridge is likely to facilitate even more trade into the city.
Gordie Howe International Bridge reaches major milestone as crews disassemble tower cranes
Crews also have an expected end date for the project and when the modern marvel will open.
Detroit's air quality concerns
The newly proposed ordinance arrives as air quality continues to drive health issues in Michigan.
Dig deeper:
Wildfires in Canada have grown more severe in the past few years, driven by climate change and sending plumes of smoke south into the Midwest and Michigan.
In the summer of 2023, Detroit had some of the worst air quality in the world. The Air Quality Index - which is the yardstick the government uses to rate the quality of air - takes into account levels of particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds.
On days of extreme heat, chemical reactions between those elements drive up ground-level ozone, otherwise known as smog. Particle pollution also worsens air quality, making it difficult to breathe for those who have health issues like asthma.
The American Lung Association gave Wayne County F ratings for both kinds of pollution due to the number of days with unhealthy air quality.
The Source: A city council meeting Tuesday, a report from the American Lung Association, and previous reporting were cited for this story.