Officials in a Los Angeles suburb want to prohibit truck traffic on a state highway that runs through their community.

After years of talk, Moorpark, Calif., has authorized a $20,000 study to see if it is feasible to keep all truck traffic except local deliveries off of California 118, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Not only is it a state highway, but the stretch of road is also part of the National Highway System, a group of highways identified by the federal government as needed for national defense and interstate travel.
The city has hired a consulting firm to determine the city’s chances of success before it embarks on a full-scale lobbying effort.
It’s not the first time the subject has come up since the community was incorporated in 1983. In 1989, 1994 and 1999, the city appealed to the California Department of Transportation for help. Each time, the agency told the city to submit a formal application to ban truck traffic, a time-consuming and complex process. Three years ago, the city started looking for a consulting to do it, but were unable to find one until recently.
The California Trucking Assn. opposes any effort to ban trucks on the highway. CTA Vice President Warren Hoemann told the paper that the route is “an essential part of the network we need throughout the state to deliver goods.” He said the group is open to efforts to set up portable scales and rest areas along the highway around Moorpark.