WEST HARRIS COUNTY – In the peaceful, family neighborhood of Highland Creek Estates, near FM529, big anger and frustration is growing amongst homeowners over big rig trucks parking all over this subdivision at all hours of the day and night.
”You’ve got these drivers coming in here parking their commercial vehicles there, when according to our home owners association they don’t allow us to do that at our own homes. Why can they come in, people who don’t even live in the neighborhood,” said Scott Priewe, a resident in the neighborhood.
Two, long time residents, Mike Sims and Scott Priewe, say the problem has gotten so bad, they feel like they’re living in a giant, commercial truck stop.
Their biggest complaint, the nightly sounds of air brakes and huge diesel engines firing up.
“They come in here at all times and they wake you up,” said Mike Sims.
”The noise of an 18-wheeler that you hear on the highway, we hear that right outside our bedroom window at night,” said Scott.
In 2008, the Houston City Council made it illegal for big rigs to park in residential areas overnight from 6:00pm to 7:00am.
But these families live in an unincorporated part of Harris County.
And the Harris County Sheriff’s Department tells KPRC2 Investigates that officers can’t ticket or tow these trucks unless clear signs are posted at every entrance to this neighborhood, warning that big rig trucks are forbidden from parking on these residential streets.
And so far, residents of this subdivision say their HOA has failed to do that.
Residents say they have been told by the HOA that they need to collect signatures calling for that signage to be put up, before anything will happen.
”Why are you letting this happen here on our streets? Can’t you do something to keep the truckers out,” asks Scott Priewe, shaking his head, “this is no way to live”.