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Residents urge Trenton council to pause plan moving alley garbage to curb, citing safety and accessibility
Summary
Multiple residents told the council that a DPS plan to move garbage containers from alleys to front curbs would create safety, ADA and parking problems in the Elizabeth/Riverside neighborhoods and described past damage by city trucks. Council said staff would follow up.
Multiple residents urged the Trenton City Council on June 15 to halt or revise a plan to relocate alley trash pickup to curbside, saying narrow streets, lack of driveways and past damage by city garbage trucks make curbside collection unsafe and impractical.
Michelle Gagne, a resident of 3409 Elizabeth Drive, told council the west side of her street has few driveways and that moving bins to the curb will force residents to move cars into already limited parking. "The issues with changing to curbside pickup are numerous and includes bins cannot be placed away from cars for pickup in the morning because there's no driveways," Gagne said, asking the council to consider alternatives such as having drivers slow down.
Patrick Kukla, who lives at 3361 Elizabeth, described several incidents he attributed to city collection trucks, including sideswipes and damage to his fence and vehicles. "Some of the drivers are very courteous. Some of them wave to me. . . But they go fast through that alley," Kukla said, adding he placed a boulder to protect his property after repeated impacts.
Tim Busey, who shares the same alley entrance, warned that many homes do not have sidewalks connecting to the street and that moving heavy wheeled carts over lawns, mud or snow could be hazardous and may result in accidents or more property damage.
Mayor Rezappa and other officials said staff had received emails and would follow up. The mayor clarified that yard waste is taken to Taylor and general solid waste goes to Riverview; he said the city would look at accommodation requests for residents with disabilities. "We'll be in touch, certainly," the mayor told Michelle Allen, a resident who also asked for help moving bins because of a disability.
The public comments on June 15 came during the meeting's public comment period. Council did not vote on a policy change that night; speakers requested the city either keep alley pickup where feasible or delay implementation while staff works with affected residents.
The record shows multiple residents asked the city to consider slow-down measures for trucks, to preserve alley pickup for people without driveways, and to analyze ADA impacts before changing routes. Councilmembers acknowledged the concerns and said they would share the feedback with DPS for follow-up.
The council's next regular meeting is scheduled for July 6; the transcript does not record a formal decision on the pickup plan at the June 15 meeting.
