Moot said he expects that a lawsuit from truck companies angered by the ban will be forthcoming, but said he would like to see the law enforced.

"I hope that they will notify the major trucking companies coming through that the law is in effect. Then of course you have to put the police in the street to enforce it," the said.

Moot said he thought that the council's decision was major victory for Cambridge residents who supported the petition.

Although he said that ultimately he would like to keep large 18-wheel trucks from stopping in Harvard Square to make deliveries, he said he was pleased with the decision.

Many Cantabrigians who spoke at Monday's city council meeting stressed the fact that they were not trying to shut down the entire truck industry, but were simply trying to stop large trucks and oil tankers from speeding through residential streets.

Beverly Evans, also a resident of Coolidge Hill Road, said she has lived in Cambridge since 1968 and that this problem has been getting worse every year.

She described the agony of being lifted "three and a half feet" out of her bed in the middle of the night by passing trucks.

Sally Landis, a resident of Story Street, described the same problem. Story Street is made up of older Victorian-style houses that do not respond well to the shaking and disturbance created by large trucks.

Story Street will be part of the new 'historic district' in Cambridge, and Landis said this makes it even more important for the area to be protected from large trucks.