The city of Savannah has implemented a trial overnight truck ban on one of its busiest streets in an attempt to reduce traffic congestion in the downtown area.
The truck ban is just one part of the Bay Street Pilot Program, Savannah’s attempt to improve safety and traffic flow in the downtown area. The Bay Street Pilot Program will also include the removal of over 100 parking spaces in order to widen the roadway and the use of temporary bollards to discourage jaywalking by pedestrians.
From now through October 9, semi trucks are not permitted on Bay Street from East Broad to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from 7 p.m. through 5 a.m. Said one spokesman for the city, “We’re going to, um, engage the businesses where these trucks are heading to, to see what the impacts of a ban on that time travel will be. We’re doing it at night because nighttime truck traffic is just a fraction of daytime truck traffic, so the impact won’t be as great.”
Nearly 1,800 semis use Bay Street during the day, while an estimated 360 trucks use the street at night.
After the pilot program ends on October 9, the city will seek public input and reevaluate the impact of the truck ban on traffic.
You can visit the city of Savannah’s website here to learn more about the Bay Street Pilot Program or to leave feedback.
Pilot program includes night time ban on truck traffic on Bay Street https://t.co/NkkCUmfTr3
— WSAV News 3 (@WSAV) August 16, 2016