STATE of MAINE Department of Public Safety Maine State Police Traffic Safety Unit State House Station 20 Augusta, Maine 04333-0020 JANET T
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STATE OF MAINE Department of Public Safety Maine State Police Traffic Safety Unit State House Station 20 Augusta, Maine 04333-0020 JANET T. MILLS COL. JOHN E. COTE GOVERNOR CHIEF MICHAEL SAUSCHUCK LT. COL. WILLIAM S. HARWOOD COMMISSIONER DEPUTY CHIEF Testimony of Lt. Aaron Hayden AGAINST LD 689 AN ACT TO ALLOW TRUCKS TO USE THE LEFTMOST LANE OF A THREE-LANE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM TO SAFELY ACCOMMODATE ENTERING AND EXITING. Senator Diamond, Representative Martin and distinguished Members of the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation, my name is Lt. Aaron Hayden, and I am the Commanding Officer of the State Police Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Unit. I am here today to testify on behalf of the Department of Public Safety and the Maine State Police against LD 689. The bill being presented today pertains to the operation of Commercial Vehicles on Maine’s Turnpike. This bill would allow trucks with a registered gross vehicle weight over 10,000 pounds, including truck tractors, to operate from the Maine- New Hampshire border to mile marker 44 in the leftmost lane. This is where there are at least 3 lanes in each direction. Tractor trailer units and other trucks over 10,000 pounds are statutorily prohibited from driving in the left lane and therefore only allowed to use the center lanes for passing. If this bill would pass and be added to 29-A section 2052 it would conflict with current law listed in Title 23 Section 1980-1A. The issue of traveling in the center lane was already taken up with LD 228 with the Transportation Committee voting unanimously ONTP. The Maine State Police would have significant safety concerns that commercial vehicle units could now traverse three lanes of travel but are still required by statute to return back into the rightmost lane. There are also numerous safety concerns if this bill were to pass. In current rule the prohibition of commercial vehicles in the far left lane prevents “no zone wraps” where two tractor trailer units sandwich a passenger vehicle between lanes, it positions the largest vehicle out of the highest speed lanes, reduces passenger cars being boxed in by commercial vehicles and reduces passenger vehicles that can end up in the commercial vehicle’s large right side blind spot area. There is also the safety concern with the proximity of the opposing lane. The current guard rail system uses the NCHRP 350 compliant guardrail system which is tested to withstand angled impacts from a 30,000-pound vehicle. We know that some commercial vehicles weigh far in excess of 30,000 pounds. We have had commercial vehicle units enter into the opposing lane historically during a crash. They normally were already in a deceleration event caused by an accident starting in the furthest right or center lanes. If the event were to occur in the far left it could lead to an increase in lane crossover. There is also the issue of breakdowns. If a mechanical breakdown were to occur, the far-left breakdown area does not provide adequate spacing for a larger commercial vehicle currently. The language in this bill authorizes trucks and truck tractors to “operate in the leftmost lane only as necessary to safely accommodate entering or exiting vehicles.” This would certainly create confusion amongst law enforcement, as there aren’t any ramps on the left side of the Turnpike. It could create a subjective rationale for the operator to continually stay in the leftmost lanes if they believe it is necessary to safely accommodate ramp traffic. In other words, this bill would not be enforceable as written. Studies completed in Texas, Florida and Georgia support the above-mentioned concerns and states that have limited the far-left lane to commercial motor vehicles have shown a decrease in accidents. Currently Massachusetts, Connecticut share similar statues to Maine. On behalf of the Department of Public Safety and the Maine State Police, I thank you for your time and would be happy to try and answer any questions that you might have..