SAUGUS — The Police Department has increased bike patrols on the Rail Trail in an effort to promote safety on the trail and ensure that its regulations are being adhered to.
The passage of Article 27 at Annual Town Meeting brought about changes to the town’s section of the Rail Trail, including the outlawing of motorized vehicles, such as motorized bicycles and scooters, with the exception of emergency-service vehicles.
Board of Selectmen Chairman Debra Panetta said that Chief of Police Michael Ricciardelli was very supportive of the article’s passage, and that the bylaw would “give our bicycle-patrol officers that authority that they need to keep the Rail Trail safe and orderly.”
Panetta thanked Town Meeting members for their unanimous support of the article when it was presented at the third night of Annual Town Meeting on May 20.
Ricciardelli said that Article 27 has not been officially enacted yet, as it requires approval from the attorney general before being added to the town’s bylaws.
However, Assistant Chief of Police Ronald Giorgetti said that Ricciardelli began increasing bike patrols on the Rail Trail around Memorial Day weekend.
“We know our people have addressed the issues they come across with the scooters up and down the Rail Trail,” Ricciardelli said.
Ricciardelli believes that since more officers have been on patrol on the Rail Trail, there has been a decrease in the usage of motorized vehicles along the trail.
“It’s probably less than before we put them on bikes out there,” Ricciardelli said.
Giorgetti said that the department does not often receive calls regarding electric bikes and scooters on the Rail Trail. Instead, most calls regarding the trail are about juveniles improperly operating their bicycles on public ways.
