City commission changes truck route policy

Lawrence city commissioners Tuesday night unanimously agreed to make changes to the city’s truck route policy that should make it easier for farmers to bring their grain to market.

Commissioners followed the recommendation of the city’s Traffic Safety Commission and approved an ordinance that will allow truck drivers more options for making deliveries in Lawrence.

The ordinance allows any truck driver who has a route either ending or starting in Lawrence to use designated delivery routes. Those streets generally are secondary roads in Lawrence such as Haskell, Wakarusa, Kasold and numbered streets such as 31st, 19th, 15th, 11th and Eighth streets.

The city’s current policy forces many truck drivers in Lawrence to remain on state highways for as long as possible when making deliveries. Truck drivers said the policy, which has been more vigorously enforced recently, would add significant numbers of trucks to 23rd Street, which is Kansas Highway 10.

The new ordinance will apply to all trucks, but had been lobbied for by area farmers who were concerned about how they would efficiently get their crops to the main Lawrence grain elevator near 19th and Haskell streets.