Oyster Bay Bans Truck Traffic On Road, But Feds Say Town Doesn't Have Jurisdiction

OYSTER BAY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The Oyster Bay Town Board voted Tuesday night to ban large trucks on busy South Oyster Bay Road.

However, the battle over the ban may not be over yet, as the Federal Highway Administration says only the state has the power to de-designate restrictions on the roadway, WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported.

Not surprisingly, truck drivers are not happy about the ban.

"We need the roads to bring medical supplies, food, water -- these are human beings' needs," Johnny, a driver, told Xirinachs.

Residents' complaints about noise, danger and pollution convinced the Town Board to issue the truck ban.

"They make a lot of noise, and they're dangerous," one woman said.

"You're pulling out of a parking lot, and they're speeding by, and they're huge. And they block the area. You can't see."

The state Department of Transportation began allowing tractor-trailers on the residential road in December 2014, designating it as an "access highway." The road is a 3-mile stretch running through Syosset, Plainview, Hicksville and Bethpage and intersecting with the Long Island Expressway.

Residents blamed the addition of a FedEx facility for the new truck traffic.