On August 21, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will face six Carlisle, Pa. residents in the Commonwealth Court in Harrisburg as the residents try to get a permanent injunction that would close the Plainsfield Service Plaza to commercial vehicles. Trucks have been allowed in the Plaza (about 6 miles west of Carlisle) since it was built in 1940.

According to the residents (one moved there in 1990 and the others in later years), trucks are a public nuisance, and allowing commercial vehicles to park at the Plaza degrades the environment. The Commission hired engineering experts to investigate claims that the environment is being endangered. The engineers found that the air, water, noise and lights were not violating any federal standards or regulations.
The Turnpike Commission also has said that it must soon close 422 of the 564 truck pull-off areas on the Turnpike because of a National Transportation Safety Board study that claims the areas are too close to the highway. Those closings alone will seriously limit truck parking on that highway.