Big rig traffic creating "dangerous" situation in north Sacramento neighborhood
SACRAMENTO — There is a clash going on between big rigs and residences in a Sacramento neighborhood that city hall said is creating an unsafe environment.
The Robla neighborhood in north Sacramento has trucking companies right next door to family homes with little kids. It's not a good mix, and the City of Sacramento is trying to find a fix.
Amelia Sanchez lets her two boys play all day inside the gates of their front yard, but they can't go out.
"I don't let my kids play outside," she said. "It's dangerous for them to be out here."
Truck traffic is nonstop in the Robla neighborhood, where the city allowed family homes to be built in an industrial zone for decades.
Now, problems with safety, noise, and air quality have become a big concern, and the city is answering to claims of environmental injustice.
"It's awful. It stinks out here," Robla resident Cindy Reven said.
Reven has lived there for 40 years. She said the city promised sidewalks when she moved in. They still have not been built.
"It's ridiculous," Reven said.
Todd Sperber owns industrial property in the neighborhood.
He said a new city proposal to suddenly create new conditional use permits for truck companies there could add tens of thousands of dollars for small business owners who have all been operating within the city rules.
"Certainly, none of the business owners want to be driving semi trucks down a road where a kid is riding his bike or her bike," Sperber said. "Let's all get in a room together and see if we can come up with a solution that makes sense."
The proposed changes have gone in front of the law and legislative committee this month. The next step will be a discussion by the full city council.
"It should have been addressed right from the beginning," Sanchez said.