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By CLARK MASON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
When it comes to damaging city streets, there isn’t anything quite like a garbage truck.
Lumbering through neighborhoods, stopping and starting, turning and backing, they stress the pavement more than 9,300 times as much as an SUV does, according to one study.
“In general, it’s acknowledged that garbage trucks beat the crap out of streets,” said Santa Rosa City Councilman Gary Wysocky. “They get the most wear and tear from garbage trucks.”
An engineering analysis cited by the Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission found a garbage truck puts more strain on a street than just about anything else, including a fully loaded transit bus, a semi-truck hauling a single trailer, or a UPS delivery truck, said John Goodwin, an MTC spokesman.
Santa Rosa has taken the step of making the top layer of asphalt thicker to help counter the impact of the 25-ton-plus behemoths, which account for an estimated $2.2 million in annual street maintenance costs, according to a 2010 study.
As financially strapped cities experience a proliferation of fissures and potholes, garbage trucks are getting renewed scrutiny to see if the companies that own them should be contributing more to fix streets.
In Windsor, a transportation consultant last week recommended the town explore imposing a fee on the town’s garbage hauler for the damage the trucks cause to the pavement.
“The fact of the matter is they are the heaviest vehicles on the road,” said Ted Lidie, the project manager who documented the overall deterioration of Windsor’s street pavements from a “very good” grade in 2008, to simply “good” this year.
“When those roads were designed, there was a lot less waste (being hauled),” he said of Windsor’s 84 miles of paved roads. “Trucks were smaller.”
And with recycling and multiple waste streams, there are more truck trips generated than in the past. In Santa Rosa, for example, one truck with a split container picks up garbage and yard waste in one pass, and a separate truck collects recyclable material.
“Typically where a truck might have come by in a single stretch, once a week, now they’re coming by two and three times a week,” Goodwin said of the way it works in many Bay Area communities.
He said the state gasoline tax of 18 cents per gallon that helps fund road repairs has not been raised since 1994, so it does not go as far as it once did, due to inflation. And the cost of asphalt, an oil-based substance, has risen.
That means more local governments may be looking at imposing some form of pavement impact fee on garbage trucks.
“There’s an expectation it may come up in more municipalities in the Bay Area in the future, and it’s an issue that just now is coming to the surface,” Goodwin said.
“It seems to be popular to impose fees on garbage trucks and gravel trucks these days. Yes, they weigh a lot,” said former Sonoma County Supervisor Ernie Carpenter, a consultant for the owners of Sonoma County’s major garbage hauler, North Bay Corp.
Of course, any new fee could show up in higher garbage bills for residents and businesses.
“Any fee that would be implemented under the current contract would go right back to the ratepayer,” said Steve McAffrey, a spokesman for North Bay Corp., which has the garbage franchise for all the cities in Sonoma County other than Sonoma.
One of those cities, Petaluma, already has a “vehicle impact fee” levied on the garbage company. In 2008, the city calculated the yearly cost to city streets caused by garbage trucks at $1.6 million.
As a result, the city charges an 18 percent franchise fee on the garbage company revenues, which includes 8 percent for street repairs.
But that generates just $750,000 annually for street repair, said Larry Zimmer, the city’s capital improvement manager.
Petaluma also has the worst streets of any of Sonoma County’s nine cities, with an “at risk” grade, according to a 2009 MTC assessment of pavement conditions in the Bay Area.
Santa Rosa’s streets fared better overall. Like most cities in the county, it has a “fair” rating. But the impact of garbage trucks has been on the city’s radar for awhile.
Santa Rosa about a decade ago took measures to deal with the heavier weight of garbage trucks on residential streets by increasing the minimal thickness of asphalt to three inches from the old standard of about 2½ inches, said Peter Dodsworth, a materials engineer with the city.
City Attorney Caroline Fowler said there isn’t a specific garbage truck impact fee, but “we kind of factor that into the franchise fee, which is higher than some cities in Sonoma County.”
In the past few years, some cities, including Windsor and Healdsburg, have required their garbage hauler to use slightly less weighty vehicles to reduce the stress on streets.
North Bay’s McAffrey said that as result, Windsor’s loaded garbage trucks weigh about 48,000 pounds, compared with the 51,000 pounds of fully weighted truck in other jurisdictions.
As a result, he said, Windsor rates are slightly higher than average.
Windsor Mayor Steve Allen said the recent report that details the rapid decline in the conditions of Windsor’s roads and the $1 million annual shortfall to maintain them is “sobering.”
But he said the issue of imposing a fee on garbage trucks needs more study. “When you talk about an impact fee, you’re talking about increasing the cost to the community,” he said.
Windsor Public Works Director Richard Burtt said many town streets were built 20 to 25 years ago and are showing their age.
“We’re starting to see the deterioration of streets. As they get older, it becomes more evident and it comes more rapidly,” he said, adding “You can’t blame the whole thing on garbage trucks. They’re one factor.
Windsor Councilman Sam Salmon linked consumerism with the impact garbage trucks are having on the roads.
“Try to recycle and preserve and leave as much at the store as you can in terms of packaging,” he said.
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What’s next, using a horse drawn wagon to haul trash!
@cyclist – totally on board with that idea.
As a single individual in Santa Rosa, I have the smallest garbage can available (the kind they put a bucket inside of to cut you down by 1/3). Typically, I only put my can at the curb every other week, sometimes every 3 weeks.
My recycle bin goes to the curb about once a month.
Granted, a family of 4 surely has more trash and recycling, but I think we need to change our thinking about the service we pay for. Waiting until my cans are completely full before putting them out for collection does not mean I’m paying more than my neighbor who routinely puts 1/2-full cans out every single week. It just means I’m more consciously aware of the impact my personal trash collection puts on the street outside my house.
Personally, I think our trash collection rates are extremely reasonable. Especially since we aren’t charged at all for recycling. I don’t mind paying a bit more for the convenience of curbside trash and recycling, but if we could reduce the wear and tear of our streets by simply reducing the frequency of the trucks stopping in front of our homes, isn’t that a better solution?
As usual, crass councilperson Wysocky comes up with the quote of the week. Beating the crap out of the streets is something he understands. Bully.
What about the damage to our freeways from sending Sonoma County garbage trucks 90 miles away to be emptied? Presumably, freeways are built to take heavier trucks, but the wear is considerable . . . and avoidable.
Is the state of California justified in dinging the county for its failure to reopen our landfill? After all, it’s that policy that causes 65 CO2-spewing trucks (as the PD would put it) so we can dump our garbage in someone else’s backyard.
Who OK’d putting garage trucks on the road that weigh more than the roads can handle? Why hasn’t our “leadership” in Sacramento adjusted the gas taxes for inflation to keep our streets and roads in good repair? Hello, hello ? Is anybody at home in government? Are there any responsible people in government?
OK, just what I thought.
The customer or taxpayer is responsible for paying the cost of every service or product. Since govt. has no money other than what we give it in taxes, and businesses only have the money we pay them for what they sell us, who else is there?
The hard part is taking personal responsibility for that simple truth in all our dealings and transactions.
The mechanisms by which everyone involved gets paid are all we are arguing about.
We all want our trash removed/recycled, so we are responsible for paying the cost of getting it done to our satisfaction.
Either by taxes or prices the bill will be paid for the trucks and the streets and all the pesky details of a reasonably sanitary civilization.
If we paid ‘em extra, do you think they might go to the Capital and haul some of that trash away?
@David
I don’t care about you not wanting to live in Europe, I’m simply letting you know that despite how comfortably we all get to live here in the states we pay next to nothing in taxes to do it. A tax increase here should be welcomed as our collective responsibility as a nation as a state, or as a city. As much as the conservative right THINKS they want this fend-for-yourself-lifestyle none of us would be as successful and as safe as we are right here with the social protections we have.
Open your eyes and stop being selfish, if you had a child with disabilities the state would help you, when you’re old you WILL collect social security and Medicare, and if you’re unemployed your style of governance would have you out on the streets, but the actual style of governance recognizes severe economic hardship and provides stimulus.
Please for one second, just try to believe that they don’t throw all of our tax money onto a burn pile, its not waste, its responsibility.
@David – I have. And it is constantly being read and guarded by the Supreme Court as set forth by the founding fathers.
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@Phil – I actually think going further in the direction of a parlimentary system, where you vote for ideas rather than people, would make more sense. In the US, we get a joke like ‘The Donald’ polling near the top of the pack…
This is all wrong. Why should the people receiving the garbage service be responsible for the damage done to the streets by the collection company? If the people will have to pay a higher collection fee, then what is the incentive for the collection company to stop destroying the streets? Now, if the cost of repairing the streets comes out of the profits of the collections company and not allowed as a cost of doing business, then they will have an incentive to stop destroying the streets.
You just can’t keep nicking the little guy.
I just visited the website for Sonoma County Dept. of Public Works. I think I have the answer.
The priorities are all mixed up.
On the website the first priority is to preserve air quality. The last priority is to maintain roads.
If they fix the roads and maintain them so the garbage trucks can drive on them we wont need to burn our garbage.
Win/Win!
http://www.sonoma-county.org/tpw
@Let’s Be Reasonable-
Let’s be realistic- We’ve gone so far beyond voting for the best person for the job…we now vote an ideology- a party line and a political mantra, and our votes are all too often supportive of that alone. Instead of a representative, we decide who’s the least dangerous, and engage in damage control. For some, it’s nothing more than finding a ‘D’ or an ‘R’ next to a nameless and faceless person whom we know nothing about, but assume will do what’s best for everyone because of our own system of values and beliefs. As unpopular as the Wall Streeters may be, we could all take a valuable lesson from their philosophy- the best of times are when neither side has control, and gridlock ensues. No harm, no foul. Pretty sad and apathetic on the part of the electorate, but still, undeniably a condition that our resident crop of elected megalomaniacs and sociopaths on both sides of the aisle have come to rely on for their survival.
As for garbage trucks destroying the asphalt- You wreck it, you buy it. It’s nothing more than I would expect from anyone, inclusive of myself. If it’s a few bucks a year onto my garbage bill, it’s the price I’m willing to pay for a decent street and to have someone else deal with my trash. Very seldom is something a case of quid pro quo anymore, so this one gets a pass.
Not me… The Constitution State and Federal with it’s Enumerated Powers… Try reading it.
A simple solution. Don’t create so much garbage people! Then they don’t need such big trucks to haul our garbage.
So a trash truck weigh 25 tons, an SUV weighs 2 tons, and my Vespa motorscooter weighs 218 lbs.
Am I due some kind of rebate?
And what about those “damn cyclists” this time?
Shouldn’t they get some props here too?
@David – and it is only you who decides what government is supposed to do…? Last I heard, we lived in a democracy. We elect representatives that we think will best represent us in government and let them make these kinds of decisions. they have the ability/time to study the issues. If we don’t like how they decide things, we vote someone else in.
If they impose the fee on garbage companies, they will just pass it on to us anyway. As for government services. If the government did only what it was supposed to do it would have plenty of money.
@Not a Chance,
I don’t want to live in Europe, I want to live in the United States. If our law makers also wanted to live in the U.S. and worked with that idea (instead of trying to be more like Europe open borders and all) we would have only the services government is supposed to provide and fewer taxes.
Once again Watch Sonoma County commentary participants believe that asphalt, garbage men, and all public infrastructure will just fall from the heavens and that no taxes should ever be collected, unless its from poor people (Get ‘em!). In fact lets just get rid of the roads altogether. Hell while we’re at it lets get rid of side walks, cross walks, bike lanes etc… Its all a bunch of Big Liberal Government crap that we don’t need. right guys?
TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX is that all you people think about? Tax burden in the US is the lowest its been since 1958, quit being so selfish, move to the UK if you want to see what actual taxes look like.
(is selfish a bad word Ted? do you think I hurt any feelings?)
What I am hearing is a proposed new tax.
The voter will not approve it, so it will be passed to certian industries and we will all pay for it anyhow.
Are not all public streets and roads supposed to have the capability of handling 20,000 lb axle ratings?…
Uh…yes.
Taking money from maintenance and road improvements projects and then stabing us with a backdoor tax is not ethical.
Seems reasonable that they should pay the extra cost… except that in the end we’ll (again) be paying the extra cost in the form of rate increases.
I dislike it immensely that their perpetual shortsightedness seems to end up lightening my pockets.
It would be helpful if all gas tax money went for road maintenance and repair. A considerable amount is now siphoned off for a wide variety of projects under the umbrella of “transportation projects” that do little to improve transportation.
If residential streets need more expensive paving because of garbage trucks, then it seems reasonable they should pay the extra cost.
@Ken – as it said in the article, the gas tax going to street repair has remained at 18 cents per gallon since 1994, so unless we are using lots more gallons the money going towards street repair has remained constant. Cities used to take additional money from the General Fund to help with this, but with Public Safety sucking out all the money, there is no longer anything left for roads. Measure P might’ve helped in Santa Rosa, but it sounds like their council is going to give it all to Public Safety.
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@Jon – The article mentions that SR is putting more asphalt down. It also mentions that these trucks are getting heavier and coming more often – and most streets were paved years ago.
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Folks – if you want government services, you need to tax to pay for them. If you would like to have ANY services besides Public Safety, you need to tell your representatives so, otherwise their salaries and benefits will continue to squeeze out everything else. If yo don’t want to pay taxes, then don’t complain about the lack of services.
“We have to protect our foney-baloney jobs people!” Quick… find somebody else we can TAX!
Hey Richard… the only truck in the city fleet that even comes close to the weight of a loaded garbage truck is a fully loaded tanker/engine with 3000 gallons on board. Dump trucks and PG&E trucks don’t weigh anything near 25+ tons.
Seems ridiculous to me that the city engineers would spec asphalt for surface streets that is insufficient to carry the weight of a garbage truck.
To Ken Coleman: don’t laugh, they got the EPA to rate carbon dioxide as a toxin! Yes they are finding new ways to tax your car. No they’re not ‘gonna repair the roads outside ‘Smart Growth’ human settlements. They want you walking or riding a bike in a designated area, or taking public transportation so they can keep track of you. You see according to Agenda 21, you use too many resources. You have too much financial abundance. You have too many freedoms. Yes we are to blame for global warming. We should feel guilty. Maybe by surrendering to this new oppressive order you can begin to ‘come clean’ with the rest of your global citizens. You see; there’s not enough energy. There’s not enough currency. There’s not enough water. There’s not enough jobs. There’s not enough food. There’s not enough regulations to keep you vermin in line. Where is this going to? Search: Democrats Against UN Agenda 21.com or Freedom Advocates. Agenda 21 for dummies sums it up pretty good. Actually you summed it up pretty good. I wish it was April Fools.
lets see fire trucks are bigger pg&e trucks are bigger &; county dump trucks are bigger COME_ON MAN
Okay, you got me, waiting for you to say Aril Fools. Whats next, tax the Fire Department? Lets go a bit further and tax eveyone who has a car because they are ultimatly to blame for the roads. We have taxs implemented already to cover the costs of reparing roads, where is that going to?