The engine brakes modify engine valve operations to use engine compression to slow down a vehicle, according to Judi Boyko, the township’s administrator.
When deployed, the brakes make a loud chattering or machine-gun like noise, Boyko said.
That, she said, can be very aggravating to those who reside near the major commercial corridor, which connects Interstate 275 to Ohio 129.
“You have this system of interstate roadways that makes it very convenient and very accessible to this type of vehicle, semi-trucks,” Boyko said. “We’ve received several complaints from residents living in proximity to or along State Route 747 and we feel like this is a benign response and resolution to some of their concerns.”
The issue of engine brakes was brought to the township’s attention earlier this year, according to Barb Wilson, the township’s spokeswoman.
There had been signs on Ohio 747 related to engine brakes, but when the Ohio Department of Transportation made improvements to the roadway, it did not reinstall the signs, Wilson said.
“Because 747 is a state route, ODOT requires that the township approve a resolution and provide the signs,” Wilson said. “After the appropriate (30-day) referendum period … ODOT will erect the signs along their roadway.”
Under the resolution, a tractor trailer would be allowed to use the engine brakes in an emergency situation, Boyko said.
The resolution would be enforced as a traffic citation, Wilson said. A police officer must witness the engine braking in order for the driver to be cited.
Trustee George Lang requested the board postpone a vote on the measure, saying he wanted to “do a little more homework on it.”
Liberty Twp., which approved a similar resolution for Ohio 4 on Oct. 15, also enacted such a measure for Ohio 747 in 2010 “due to concerned residents living in close proximity to these roadways,” according to Caroline McKinney, spokeswoman for Liberty Twp.
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