NORFOLK, Va. — Police are cracking down on traffic enforcement along the busy Hampton Boulevard corridor in Norfolk.
It is heavily traveled, not just by cars but also by large tractor-trailers.
Back in 2007, city council members voted to ban certain trucks on Hampton Boulevard for portions of the day. Recently, however, you may have seen more officers stopping them and giving out tickets for violations.
On Hampton Boulevard, trucks with at least four axles are only allowed to travel between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. City councilwoman Courtney Doyle called trucks in violation a great challenge.
Doyle discussed data she reviewed from last fall.
"There were upwards of 50 to 80 trucks on a daily basis traveling before 6 a.m. and after 4 p.m.," she said.
She also serves as chair of the Hampton Boulevard Task Force and has done so since 2018.
"We are promoting safety along the corridor, between Redgate Avenue and Admiral Taussig Boulevard," said Doyle. "It's residential, it's commercial, academia, it has the port and it has the Navy."
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In line with the task force's goal of promoting safety and in an effort to improve quality of life, Doyle said Port police and the Norfolk Police Department are enhancing enforcement.
Neighbors are noticing the change.
"An increase in the last week or so," said resident Erin DeWoody.
By the numbers, Doyle told 13News Now that law enforcement officers found at least 18 trucking companies in violation, just within a span of four days this month (Feb. 1, 2, 3 and 6).
"And some of those [companies] more than once," Doyle added.
DeWoody said she feels a sense of reassurance, given the efforts meant to improve safety.
"We have college students who are crossing the street, we have families who are out, we have people walking their pets, so we just want to make sure people are safe," said DeWoody.
Neighbors also identified speeding as a big problem on the corridor.
While reporting on this story, 13News Now crews noticed several patrol units pull over cars for traffic violations as well.
Moreover, Doyle touted other safety measures born from the Hampton Boulevard Task Force.
Those include improvements to crosswalks, medians, retiming some stoplights and the addition of red light cameras.