Trucks have every right to be on your road

Regarding your story "U.F. to ask local truckers to voluntarily curb traffic," I have some, but limited sympathy for the residents. As the owner of a legal reporting service that deals with mine safety issues, we frequently hear about citizens' complaints regarding local mining operations.

The mining company was there long before the housing development, Woods at Cream Ridge. Having relatives in Hightstown and Cranbury (I now live in New York) and with my father living in Whiting, Sharon Station Road is one we frequently travel. I have watched the housing developments grow in this rural area. People buying in these locations should check the area before moving there. Is there a quarry or sand and gravel pit nearby? Do mining operations own the land around your development, which might now be farmland? This land will probably be mined in the future. Do you want to live with truck traffic, blasting or the "beep-beep" of equipment? You have no right to move into a development without knowing these facts, and then ask these companies to modify their work schedules. It would be more productive for residents to meet with the local trucking companies, and ask the drivers to slow down, rather than redirect their routes. In mining, you have to dig where the mineral is located. Time is money, and a longer route means the truckers also have to pay for more diesel fuel. If residents want roads, play sand for children's sandboxes, rocks for landscaping, and gravel for driveways, then you have to accept the fact that haul trucks will be on your road, and they have every right to be there.

Ellen Smith

Mine Safety and

Health News

Pittsford, N.Y.