A while back I inquired about non-commercial pick up trucks on Lake Shore Drive. Most replies indicated much was up to an officer’s discretion.
Here’s Part II:
A friend will be in Chicago soon. He’s from California. He’ll drop his RV outside of town and head downtown to his hotel in his pick-up. Is there a function in the WAZE app (or any other) that will take in consideration his vehicle might not be allowed on certain streets, such s boulevards?
If your pickup has commercial or combo plates you technically are not allowed. If it has standard passenger car plates, you’re probably OK unless you’re carrying a bunch of stuff in the bed. It is police discretion on whether you have too much. So yeah definitely on it with the camper in place.
The parkways in the New York City area similarly don’t allow commercial vehicles, though I do see company names on the side of small pickups and vans. And make sure that the pickup truck isn’t too tall for the parking garage at the hotel.
How can a road not allow commercial vehicles? What if someone who lives on that road needs a plumber or something?
There are no homes on LSD – at least the south part of it that I am familiar with. I think there are some in the north, but those are mansions or high rises and likely have a back way in as well.
And the parkways in NY that don’t allow commercial vehicles are limited-access highways, so again nobody living on them. There are alternatives that commercial vehicles use.
Also, quite deliberately, there are low bridges on the NY parkways. One of the more succinct information signs I saw on one of those, announcing an accident ahead, said simply, “truck vs bridge.” It didn’t have to say who won.
The basic rule is no through commercial traffic. A plumber on a call or a truck delivering furniture to an address on that street is welcome.
Lake Shore Drive is essentially an expressway along Lake Michigan. There’s limited exits and entrances. There’s an Inner Lake Shore Drive with properties on it, where trucks are allowed.
I will say I’ve seen plenty of pickups on LSD and have never seen one pulled over.