Residents press Framingham officials to stop car-carrier trucks unloading on narrow residential streets

Residents told the Framingham Traffic Commission on April 22 that tractor-trailer car carriers serving an Acura dealership have repeatedly used narrow neighborhood streets — including Fraser, Oaks and Leslie — to unload vehicles, creating hazards and disturbing residents.

The issue arose during public participation when Steven Nunes of 181 Oaks Road and a neighbor who identified himself as Alex of 21 Fraser Road described lengthy unloading operations and overnight idling by 18-wheelers. "They come in, and they spend, like, three hours," Alex said, and added that he has called the police about the trucks many times. Steven Nunes told the commission the trucks are routing off Route 9 and into the neighborhood to drop vehicles near the dealership.

DPW staff member Matthew Hayes said the city is sympathetic but that options are constrained. Hayes told the commission that Oaks Road is classified as a connector road, meaning a truck-exclusion sign or similar restriction would likely require state approval. He also said residential-parking permit rules still allow some commercial parking in limited blocks, so that option may not fully solve the problem. "One of the issues is you abut a business district essentially, and then it turns into residential," Hayes said, adding he would review the planning-board permit for the dealership and follow up at the next commission meeting.

Alex said the dealership’s most recent owner bought the property about two-and-a-half to three years ago, demolished an on-site building and later received planning-board permission that, according to his recollection, limited parking to employees and prohibited on-street loading on Fraser Road. He asked the commission to enforce that permit condition and install clearer signage. "They did a cleanup last month... they try to talk to those 18-wheeler trucks to not unload in Fraser Road, but they're still doing it," he said.

Hayes urged residents to report immediate safety or blocking violations to the police department — for example, trucks blocking driveways, parking in the travel lane or idling for long periods — because those are existing enforceable violations. He said DPW staff would check the planning-board records before the next meeting to see what permit conditions apply and whether the city has avenues to require on-site unloading.

The commission did not take formal action at the meeting but directed DPW to review the planning-board permit and coordinate with the police department on enforcement options. Residents said they will continue to document incidents and report them to police.

DPW staff indicated they will return with findings and possible regulatory options at a future meeting; meanwhile residents were told to contact police immediately for parking or obstruction violations.