To the editor,
The number of people driving with excessive speed and recklessness in the Town of Marblehead continues to grow out of hand. Putting up electronic signs has had little, if any, effect on helping to reduce this easy-to-correct situation. There is absolutely no fear in people driving in Marblehead that they will get stopped for speeding or ticketed for parking on sidewalks. Until the message is made clear that speeding will not be tolerated, there will be little, if any, changes.
Over the years, all of us have driven through certain communities that have directed their resources to make sure drivers slow down. I’m sure we can all identify certain towns that have done an excellent job of getting that message across. I’m sad to say, it will most likely take a horrific accident before serious effective steps will be taken to create the “brand” that Marblehead will not accept speeding throughout our town. My recommendations include:
-The chief of police must make a series of public statements on a regular basis that speeding will not be tolerated. Traffic violations will be issued, not just warnings. These statements should be displayed in all platforms and media publications.
-The weekly police log should post the number of speeding violations, speed of vehicle vs. posted speed, street, male, female, and age.
-Weekly revenue generated from speeding violations should also be published.
-A warning banner across Tedesco and Lafayette streets should warn drivers Marblehead has zero tolerance for speeding.
-The chief of police should have conversations with mail carriers regarding which streets have the most violators. Refer back to them on a quarterly basis for up-to-date status of possible improvements.
-Police cars should be set up at targeted problem streets at random, so people within the town can see the police are visible. Police cars can even be positioned with no patrol person, just as a preventative measure.
-The police should get out of their cars and walk the streets to get a true flavor of the problem first hand.
-Make obeying the speed limit in town a top priority.
-The police should provide a monthly report on the revenue generated from traffic violations.
Over the past several years, I have brought this to the attention of the Police Department. This included the previous police chief. He was responsive by putting a data-collection box on Rockaway Avenue. He shared the data that he collected during a month. The data indicated that more than 15,000 cars went down Rockaway Avenue during a week, with 8% going more than 35 mph. This translates to 1,200 cars. To put things in perspective, traveling at 35 mph means the car is traveling at 51 feet per second. With people on their cell phones, texting, changing the radio station, or looking out the window… a lot can happen in a second or two.
In May 2023, I wrote an article that included the data I collected from the Marblehead town reports. I also wrote to the new police chief, expressing my concern along with my recommendations. He never responded.
This is a correctable problem that we need to address sooner rather than later. We can not put all the responsibility on the police and must hold ourselves accountable to be more aware of how fast we’re driving. All of us have to care enough to do our part.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Brown
Marblehead
