New Castle residents enraged with trucks using residential road as shortcut

NEW CASTLE - It is not every day that the residents of Lambson Lane in New Castle see three county police officers mounted on Clydesdale horses at the end of the street, but they will take any small victory in their long-running battle against big trucks.

Residents say large recycling trucks have been disturbing the quiet residential road for over a decade. Lambson Street marries Route 9 to the Port of Wilmington recycling and industrial business.

Signs posted on Route 9 and Lambson Street warn trucks to stay off residential roads, but locals say the signs are mostly ignored.

"Anything over two axels isn't supposed to be here, but they don't care," Patrick McDonald said. "They shrug or give me the 'number 1' sign,"

Even on a day where police can clearly be seen in cruisers and on horseback, trucks motored onto Lampson, but not without penalty. 

One truck driver from New York was issued a $110 ticket.

"I didn't catch the signs otherwise I wouldn't have come down here," Mike Laprosse said.

New Castle County Police say the issued six citations yesterday, and another 18 today, in a hard-nosed effort to keep truckers away.

"We stop lots of trucks and the word gets out. We'll hit it off and on in the future," Master Corporal Michael Eckerd said.

A worker in a local business did complain one of her truckers got a ticket because the signage on Route 9 is not big enough.

Residents know that police will not be posted on their street every day, which has some wondering what Thursday's show of force is actually worth.

"My bet is after the police are gone, they'll start again," McDonald said.

With no end to the problem in sight, residents are not just concerned about the disruptiveness of the trucks. Years ago, locals say a child was struck and killed by a vehicle on Lambson Street, making safety issues also a worry.