Reducing truck traffic will make big difference

Before you come to an opinion on whether trucks should be restricted from traveling through downtown Carson City, we recommend you do some firsthand research.

Drive down Carson Street during daytime traffic and observe the flow of traffic. Ideally, find a parking spot and walk around. Cross the street a few times.

What you're likely to see is congested traffic. What you're likely to hear is the roar of truck engines accelerating through intersections, and what you're likely to smell is diesel fumes.

It's not a place to take a leisurely stroll while window shopping, which would be the perfect vision for any downtown.

The mayor's statement about "banning" big trucks from the city center may have come off to some as draconian in tone, but it's really just common sense.

Those trucks comprise an estimated 7 percent of the traffic on Carson Street, but probably contribute to a greater degree to the overall sense of traffic bedlam, with their size, noise and exhaust.

Restricting them from the downtown is one of the few things city planners can control with certainty. They can hope that a completed bypass will help divert the bulk of the rest of the downtown vehicle traffic off Carson Street - a cornerstone of the entire downtown vision - but there's no way to be certain.

Fortunately, restricting trucks not making deliveries shouldn't be a hardship for the truckers. In fact, we suspect they'll be celebrating with the rest of us when the next phase of the freeway is complete.