Usef is a father who lives in Southwest Detroit’s Mexican Village, a neighborhood he describes as diverse, welcoming, and deeply community-oriented. As a child, he loved watching trucks pass down his street. Today, that same traffic feels stressful and even frightening, especially as he has grown to know the health impacts and dangers of trucks to his community. 

For years, his street saw between 70 and 120 trucks per day. The heavy traffic damaged his fence, knocked down a stop sign, and once nearly pulled an electrical line onto his home during a U-turn. The constant noise and diesel fumes disrupted his children’s sleep and made him question whether the neighborhood feels as safe for kids as it should. In October of 2025 The City of Detroit established truck routes on his street that reduced truck traffic to about 10 per day, but the impacts are still noticeable.

What Real Change Looks Like To Usef 

Usef believes rerouting alone is not enough because it often shifts the burden to other streets, even near important places like hospitals. He is urging city officials to pursue broader solutions, including designated truck routes and hours, toll systems to manage traffic, and stronger enforcement in high traffic areas.

He also recognizes the pressures truck drivers face, as someone who has been a truck driver,  noting that many are paid by the mile or minute. He supports incentives for safer driving, updated compensation structures, and a transition to zero emission trucks in residential neighborhoods. He also believes homeowners directly impacted by truck routes should receive financial relief.