Baltimore County Work Group Issues Recommendations for Reducing Residential Truck Traffic  

The Baltimore County Residential Truck Traffic Work Group today released its final report detailing recommendations for reducing truck traffic in residential areas through the implementation of a vehicle height monitoring camera program.

“My administration is committed to providing a more responsive government and I’m proud that we are taking steps to address longstanding community concerns regarding heavy truck traffic on our local roads,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said. “I want to thank Acting Director Walker and all the members of our Work Group for coming together to engage in a thoughtful and collaborative process. We will carefully review their recommendations while crafting legislation that can help improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods.”

During the 2020 legislative session, the Olszewski Administration successfully advocated for legislation from the Maryland General Assembly to enable Baltimore County to implement a vehicle height monitoring system program to address the high volume of commercial truck traffic on local roads in southeastern and southwestern Baltimore County.

In accordance with the state legislation, the County formed the Residential Truck Traffic Work Group in September 2020 to study the program and make recommendations to address long-standing community concerns regarding large commercial vehicles traveling through residential communities.

Chaired by D’Andrea Walker, Acting Director of the Department of Public Works and Transportation, the Work Group included representatives from relevant County agencies, commercial transportation industry representatives, and community leaders from the affected residential areas.

The Work Group’s recommendations released today include:

• Developing an official Baltimore County truck route map to promote behavioral change for vehicle operators;
• Placing vehicle height monitoring systems at seven designated roadway locations in Southwestern and Southeastern Baltimore County;
• Enacting legislation allowing Baltimore County to operate no more than seven vehicle height monitoring cameras at a single time;
• Updating Baltimore County's signage and ensuring signs utilize best practices in language and placement; and
• Creating a enforcement program to ensure vehicle height monitoring systems are effective.

In the coming months, the Olszewski administration intends to introduce legislation based on the Work Group’s recommendations.

The Residential Truck Traffic Work Group’s full report is available here (PDF).