STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Following numerous reports of trucks getting stuck on Emerson Hill's tricky terrain, Council Member Steven Matteo announced on Tuesday a plan to install eight additional signs at various entrances to the neighborhood in hopes of persuading out-of-town truck drivers to heed Department of Transportation warnings, and not their GPS.
Once reviewed and accepted by the Emerson Hill Civic Association, they will be implemented at two separate entrances near Clove Road and Richmond Road.
The plan comes after an Advance report that documented numerous incidents and cited complaints from neighborhood residents and community leaders. According to residents, the incidents in recent weeks involve truck drivers who enter through one of two entrances and have trouble finding an exit without running into trouble: a sharp turn, a narrow path, a steep hill.
The Advance has reported two incidents this month, including one on Tuesday and one on July 14. In all, residents say there have been about 10 in the past six months.
"As anyone in the community can tell you, this has been going on for some time now," Councilman Matteo said in a statement. "It is a tight enough street when a sedan is passing through. No truck can make those turns in complete safety."
Some signs, placed by the Clove Road overpass and Douglas Road at Richmond Road, will read: "No Right Turn for Vehicles Over 33 Feet." Other signs, near the Richmond Road entrance, will warn: "No Truck Except for Local Deliveries." Along with another one reading "No Right Turn," the supplemental warnings will face drivers heading east from the Staten Island Expressway exit ramp and heading south along the Clove Road overpass.
For the safety of residents, the plan ensures that emergency vehicles such as ambulances will have access to the neighborhood.
In a phone interview, Larry Lettera, co-president of the Emerson Hill Civic Association, acknowledged that signs are a "step in the right direction," but said that the issue will be resolved when GPS manufacturers redesign mapping systems, keeping truck drivers from considering Emerson Hill in the first place.
Lettera said that he has been in contact with Garmin, a producer of consumer and professional grade GPS receivers, which said it will cut the route from its mapping systems come this fall when its newest software upgrade is released.
"Hopefully, these truck drivers are upgrading their systems," Lettera said.
Councilman Matteo agrees with the approach of reaching out to GPS manufacturers directly. He said that he also has reached out to digital mapping companies and wants to help Emerson Hill residents re-route trucks by changing the technology that appears to be the source of the frustrations.
"I am asking any company that is involved in selling GPS devices to pay attention to what is happening here," he said.
Still, the undertaking is complex and time-consuming. Attracting the attention of large manufacturers, like Garmin and Google Maps, can take months. Following investigations and approval processes, waiting for software changes to be implemented in old hardware is a long process.
"It is a small change," Matteo said. "But [it] will have a big and positive impact for the safety of this community and their customers looking for a safe and efficient drive."
Residents, for the most part, are torn. Some are partial to GPS-obeying, out-of-towners, while others express confusion given the hill's steep entrances and narrow roadways.
"It's really odd that they just keep doing it," said one resident who has lived on Douglas Road -- the main thoroughfare of the neighborhood -- for more than 20 years. "The signs are there. Why are they turning up on to the hill?"
The longtime neighborhood resident added that, with many of the incidents occurring in front of her home, her family is often the first to alert authorities when an incident occurs. She said they have no choice but to help the drivers, even offering them bottles of water while the situation is sorted.
"They're worried, stressed out and are left wondering how they are going to get out of here," she added. "Some don't care that they are hitting things: They just want to get out."
Other residents wish it would just stop, finding the recurring incidents -- many of which occur during the early hours of the morning -- to be frustrating. One resident living in the area called the sound of trucks struggling to maneuver the narrow roads her "wake up call."