Description

A delivery truck for Panera got stuck on Church Street between 5am-6:30am this morning. I spoke with the delivery man who was the rider in the truck. He said they normally park on Cherry Street for deliveries (which I have noticed to be the case). He said he advised this driver to do the same today and not drive on Church Street but that the driver was not the usual driver, and didn't take his advice. After not being able to make the turn from Church Street onto Cherry or Bank Streets because of the smaller turning radius, the driver eventually backed down the full length of Church Street from Cherry Street to Main Street. This was dangerous for the pedestrians on the street and to the infrastructure of Church Street.
These larger 40'+ delivery trucks (used by Panera and Starbucks, though perhaps other businesses too) encounter problems navigating the turns on Church Street. On September 5 of last year (2016), a Starbucks delivery truck got stuck when trying to make the turn from Church Street onto Bank Street. It ran into the pole on the north/east corner of Church and Bank Street and pulled down the American flag on the pole. I think it might be worth considering a prohibition of trucks larger than 20' on Church Street. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that different drivers deliver each week and sometimes they deliver without a second rider in the truck. If this had been the case today, this would have been an even greater danger for others on Church Street; the delivery rider walked behind the truck to clear the way as it backed down the street. The driver had difficulty navigating backward on Church Street for the three blocks even with the second person's assistance.