With tolls expected to nearly double on the east end of the Massachusetts Turnpike beginning early next year, City Council President Thomas Curtin said the number of truck drivers who use Waltham as a cut through to avoid the charges would likely rise.
"Now there is really incentive to avoid the tolls," Curtin said.
Last year, Curtin brought a resolution to the council asking the Waltham Police Department form a unit to enforce truck regulations and inspections because drivers are continually using Main Street as a shortcut.
Curtin revisited the matter last night and asked that the mayor appear before the council's Committee of the Whole to see whether that unit could be created.
The Turnpike Authority Board voted 4-1 Friday for the toll hikes but the plan is still subject to change and a final vote.
Curtin said that since truckers have to pay higher tolls than car drivers, more trucks would use city streets to escape paying the increased tolls.
"The most important part of this is the safety of people on the roadways," Curtin said.
Ward 2 Councilor Ed Tarallo said the council should let the state know they are against the toll increases because of the traffic burden it could add to the city.
"Because we're going to be the short cut to Boston for everyone that doesn't want to pay the tolls on the MassPike," Tarallo said.
Richard Conn can be contacted at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com.
