Heavy Traffic

Tell someone else that only people living in South Troy will be affected by the increased truck traffic generated should the requested expansion of the County Waste Transfer Station at our southern gateway be approved, I’m not buying it. Have ya ever lived on a busy road? I have more than once. Anyone now living on or near a heavily traveled road knows exactly what I’m talking about.

People living near Mr. Subb’s or Wal-Green’s on Hoosick can’t open their windows because of the exhaust fumes generated by vehicles waiting at the traffic light.  Residents along Oakwood get a little shake to go along with their noise pollution, with trucks coming down Route 40 so heavy and so fast, they make houses rattle. Neighbors where Pawling and Route 2 converge regularly enjoy the sounds of jake brakes being applied as drivers slow down for that traffic light. Route 378 is, at best, a daily traffic jam with trucks and cars jockeying for the roadway. These very different parts of Troy all have the same issue. Heavy traffic.

For the people living on or near these roads, noise and air pollution are something they deal with every day. It's no fun.  “Well, if they don’t like it, why don’t they just move?” you say. My answer is “So, how easy would it be for you to move?” Throughout Troy, you’ll find families that have lived in their homes for multiple generations. Many have been in their homes long before these roads were expanded. Simply put, they were there before the traffic was. Some are elderly, some disabled, some depend on social programs and some work three jobs trying to support their family. Some incomes don't allow broad housing options.

Many of Troy’s roads are main thoroughfares, traveled by big, heavy rigs. There are roads where the noise NEVER stops ‘cause traffic’s ALWAYS flowing. There’s reason for all real citizens of Troy to be concerned about increasing truck capacity down in the South End. As traffic increases, the potential for our infrastructure (both above and below ground) to fail also increases. Failures are expensive. Guess who gets to pay for them?