PARKS, La. (KLFY) — Residents of the Village of Parks have been disturbed by late-night truck noise for months, prompting the local council to introduce a new ordinance to address the issue.

The ordinance, announced by Mayor Kevin Kately, will prohibit Jake braking by eighteen-wheelers within the village due to growing complaints from homeowners about the noise.

“They’re doing it at one, two o’clock, three o’clock, in the morning when people have to go to work in the morning and this thing really wakes you up, it’s like a siren,” said Mayor Kevin Kately.

Kately says homeowners have complained about eighteen-wheelers making the noise when traveling on Main Highway when entering the Village of Parks from Breaux Bridge.

Jake braking occurs when a semi-trailer truck uses its engine to slow down instead of the regular brakes, creating a sharp and loud noise. The issue was highlighted at the October council meeting where solutions were discussed.

“We’re going to do an ordinance to where law enforcement can stop them, we’re going to have our signs out, we’re going to have our signs letting you know this is not allowed in the Village of Parks,” said Kately.

Kately says signs will be placed on the Main Highway near Parks Primary School to inform drivers of the new rule. Violators could face up to a $400 fine.

He noted that other communities across Louisiana have similar rules and expressed hope that Parks will experience the same positive results. While the ordinance is not yet in effect, Kately said he’s glad to take action on behalf of the residents.

“I think they are going to be very happy that we are stepping up and actually doing something about it, it’s not nothing we really want to do, but it’s to the point now we have to do it,” said Kately.

The council plans to introduce the full ordinance next month and apply it throughout the Village of Parks once passed.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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