Rice Military residents contacted KHOU 11 after months of box trucks lining their street, saying the situation is unsafe and they want the city to take action.
HOUSTON — Residents in Houston’s Rice Military neighborhood said they are fed up after months of commercial box trucks lining their street, which they said blocks parking, impedes trash pickup and creates a serious safety hazard.
“It’s frustrating. It’s very, very frustrating, because it is like a circus out here,” resident Juan Huezo said.
Huezo, who lives near Nolda Street and the Katy Freeway Service Road, reached out to KHOU 11 about the issue. He said the problem has been ongoing for about six months.
He said as many as 10 trucks routinely drop off and pick up furniture on weekdays, and then they stay parked through the weekend. He added that the trucks face the wrong direction on the one-way street.
“No one wants to have a truck yard operating outside their neighborhood,” Huezo said.
Huezo said the situation is putting his kids and his neighbors’ kids at risk.
“My biggest concern is safety and for me particularly, the safety of my children. I have three kids. They like to ride their bikes. They like to play catch outside. And I’m afraid one of these trucks is not paying attention and might hit them or these trucks are blocking the oncoming view of other vehicles,” Huezo said.
Other neighbors said they are fed up, too, especially when it comes to the trucks blocking their garbage bins for trash collection and much-needed parking space.
“I park out there almost every day because we have a small garage, my wife parks in the garage, so I’m parking out there. Sometimes, I don’t have a spot to park in,” resident Drew Roberts said. “It just seems like they’re treating it as their own little staging ground for their company, so yeah, pretty frustrating.”
It is unclear who operates the trucks or why they are being parked on the street by the neighborhood. When neighbors have confronted drivers, Huezo said, “All they’ve told us is that they’re just following the boss’s orders.”
According to ParkHouston, large commercial vehicles may not park on any residential street except during active loading or unloading. Neighbors estimate they have made roughly 30 complaints to 311, but the trucks continue to return.
“We’ve called 311 multiple times, done filings. We’ve seen them issue tickets quite a bit, but it just continues,” Roberts said.
That is why residents are now turning to KHOU 11 for help in searching for a solution.
“We decided to reach out to KHOU to see if they can help us out with this situation, maybe put some pressure on the city to take action,” Huezo said.
Houston City Councilmember Abbie Kamin, who represents the area, responded to the concerns. She gave KHOU 11 the following statement:
“I am very concerned that residents in multiple parts of our district are having problems directly tied to parking from commercial and construction vehicles… My office is working with residents to escalate these matters to departments and the administration, but citations alone will not solve the issue.”
Roberts said he hopes the city and neighbors can find a solution soon.
“I really hope that we can come to some type of resolution and get these guys out of here,” Roberts said.
Huezo agreed, adding, “That is my goal, is to go back to the way it was before.”
Neighbors also said they are working to try and get signs posted along the street that indicate commercial parking is not allowed.
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