Truck Parking On I-287 Shoulder Raises Safety Concerns In Mahwah

MAHWAH, NJ — "It is like a truck parking lot," Mahwah Councilmember Michelle Crowe-Paz said at Thursday's meeting, referring to the Interstate 287 shoulder, where truckers have been apparently parking their rigs in violation of regulations.

Mayor James Wysocki expressed frustration over trucks parking along the shoulder of the interstate, particularly on stretches through Mahwah, he said, when they are only "inches" away from the fast lane.

"It is a dangerous situation," he said at the meeting. "When they park there, the driver's door is almost in the lane of traffic. It is not safe."

He said the nearest New Jersey State Police Barracks are in Totowa, and that it is hard for troopers to make it up to Mahwah to enforce regulations. Even if there was a more accessible state police station to the township, he said, he doesn't want to put an officer or trooper in jeopardy by asking them to move a parked truck.

"When I was a police officer, I refused to do it. It was that bad," Wysocki said. "And I don't blame the police for not wanting to."

He said he has contacted the state legislature and the state Department of Transportation, and that the state needs to come up with a "new program" to address the problem, which persists during the day and at night.

"I don't know what to do. I'm trying," Wysocki said. "And I don't want a police officer or trooper to get hit by a car."

Council President David May suggested the use of road signs that tell drivers to call police if a truck is seen parked there.

"I feel like if enough of (the truckers) get ticketed, they won't park there anymore," May said.