Manteca’s elected leaders made it clear — they want the police department to crackdown on trucks parking off truck routes.

They also want parking on truck routes restricted where it creates safety problems with sightlines, blocks access points at street crossings to the Tidewater Bikeway, and create “image” issues for Manteca at city entrances.

The council reached a unanimous consensus to have Police Chief Mike Aguilar come up with a holistic approach to truck-related issues

Councilman Charlie Halford got the ball rolling during council comments.

Halford, a retired Manteca police chief, stressed the need to enforce laws that are on the books and put in place any ordinances needed for patrol officers to address issues.

He noted it is already illegal to park off truck routes. Halford noted truck cabs, which are typically what you see parked in Manteca neighborhoods, are significantly heavier than cars. Since residential streets aren’t designed for such heavy loads truck parking accelerates pavement deterioration.

Semi-tractors weight between 10,000 and 25,000 pounds depending upon how powerful the engines are. An average sedan weighs 3,300 pounds.

Aguilar said the city’s engineer staff is already looking at sightline issues and is preparing to post the south side of Moffat from Industrial Park Drive to beyond Woodward Avenue as a no parking zone.

He added officers have conducted targeted enforcement when they have time. The chief added the result has been truckers simply park their trucks elsewhere in the city effectively moving the problem around town.

Council Gary Singh said the city is not against trucks but they need to follow the rules, not create safety issues, and not line city entrances. It was a perspective other council members echoed.

Singh said there are more and more truck cabs being parked in driveways and on neighborhood streets where they are not allowed.

Singh also said the city has to stop people from working on trucks parked along the street.

Halford stressed the need to also make truck parking less problematic along truck routes.

The councilman pointed to trucks that routinely block the access points to the Tidewater Bikeway at intersections at Powers Avenue and Cowell Avenue where there are sidewalks or implied crossings under California law.

Halford said there needs to be at least a 40 foot area on either side of such crossings where trucks are not allowed to park to avoid youth — and others — trying to cross the street to literally step into bike lanes and stick their heads around parked trucks to see oncoming traffic in both directions.

Councilman Dave Breitenbucher asserted the city created the bike lanes to delineate truck parking. Actually the bike lanes were a solution advanced when Mark Houghton was Public Works Director to address concerns of nearby residents and others about speeding on the Moffat corridor by narrowing travel lanes in a bid to help slow traffic. Moffat has neither a stop sign nor a traffic signal for a mile stretch between Main Street and Spreckels Avenue.

Narrower travel lanes are considered passive traffic control devices that prompt most people to not speed as much due to the travel lane being narrower.

Halford indicated if it is not already illegal to do so the city needs an ordinance prohibiting truckers from unhooking trailers along truck routes as they now do on Moffat and elsewhere.

At one point  Halford said it takes an officer just two minutes to issue a ticket — a stat confirmed by Aguilar. Mayor Ben Cantu seized on the exchange to push for six or more police officers dedicated to traffic enforcement.

He based his pitch on Aguilar saying his department is still 10 percent below pre-pandemic staffing making it a challenge to be able to enforce truck rules while dealing with other calls that often may require multiple officers to de-escalate situations.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com