About 5 years ago, two cyclists died after being hit by vehicles in Lincoln. Nationwide, vehicle related deaths are the 1st or 2nd leading cause of deaths for those aged 5 to 24. If a vehicle is traveling at 20mph, the chance of death of a bicyclist or pedestrian is 20%. If the vehicle is traveling 40mph, that rises to 80%. Deterring aggressive driving is a worthy goal.
References: https://wisqars.cdc.gov/lcd/?o=LCD&y1=2021&y2=2021&ct=10&cc=ALL&g=00&s=0&r=0&ry=0&e=0&ar=lcd1age&at=groups&ag=lcd1age&a1=0&a2=199 https://www.massbike.org/two_crashes_draw_increased_attention_to_suburban_bike_accommodations https://www.lincolntown.org/DocumentCenter/View/41573/Cycling > I find this deeply offensive. > Our Public Safety Dept. is highly professional and well-respected thought > the Commonwealth. > They keep us safe and work with the utmost sensitivity to our small town > population, regardless of race, color or creed. > I have been here since 1976 and have raised 2 boys here-lord knows PS has > been tested by them and their peers. > All our experiences have revealed a truly professional department. > We are very blessed to have had great leadership in the department-most > recently in Chief Kevin Kennedy -and I am confident that level of stellar > professionalism will continue. > Thank you to that department and to all who serve us. > Sara Mattes > ------ Sara Mattes > > ------ > Sara Mattes > > > * On Dec 29, 2023, at 6:17 PM, John F. Carr <voxsciurorum at gmail.com > <https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln>> wrote: *> > > > * There are two types of enforcement in America – revenue based, and to *> > * grease squeaky wheels. My sense is Lincoln has the second kind. *> > * America basically doesn't do data-driven enforcement based on accident * > > > * counts and causes, which is one reason traffic enforcement doesn't *> > * affect safety. Police go where residents complain and hang out until *> > * residents are reassured that the Select Board really loves them after *> > * all. *> > > > * Hand in hand with greasing the squeaky wheels, avoiding inconvenience *> > * to residents is a top priority of a small town police force. I'm sure *> > * our police force understands when to patrol to get the maximum *> > * fraction of nonresidents and the most visibility to possibly *> > * housebound residents. They must have a sense of which types of cars *> > * are likely to contain residents. Somebody on the way to my house, not *> > * driving a high end car, got stopped. The police officer was thinking *> > * "jackpot!", a black non-resident. But she said she was going to see *> > * somebody in town. Which would make her almost as good as a white *> > * resident. So the officer argued with her about whether she had *> > * legitimate business in town even though it was completely irrelevant *> > * to whether she should have been pulled over and whether she should get * > > > * a ticket. (If you are interested in this subject matter, get a copy *> > * of _Suspect Citizens: What 20 Million Traffic Stops Tell Us About *> > * Policing and Race_.) *> > > > * There are consequences if police in a small town ticket too many *> > * residents. Utica, Indiana let go of most of its police force because *> > * they didn't understand who should get tickets. There was no *> > * suggestion that the tickets were not legitimate. But you just don't *> > * DO that. *> > > > * As for the specific speed limit mentioned, it was set in the 1950s for * > > > * no reason that appears in records. It was not reviewed when the law *> > * changed to require a written reason, nor when the standards for *> > * setting speed limits changed and changed again. It is just an *> > * obsolete relic left by some long dead official in the state DPW. *> > * Possibly it was based on what speed through the curve was comfortable *> > * in a Ford Model A with bench seats and no seat belts. Formally, this *> > * many degrees on a ball bank indicator indicate that many miles per *> > * hour. The numbers were based on what was comfortable in a Model A. *> > * The ball bank indicator is no longer a legitimate basis for regulatory * > > > * speed limits, but it lives on in fossil form in a thousand signs from *> > * the 1950s and 1960s. This is one reason why speed limits in *> > * Massachusetts bounce up and down apparently at random a few times per *> > * mile while other states pick a speed limit and stick with it for miles * > > > * if not tens of miles. *> > > > > > * John Carr *> > > > * On Wed, Dec 27, 2023 at 7:09 PM Marcus Ruopp <marcus.ruopp at gmail.com > <https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln>> wrote: *>> > >> > * Good evening Lincoln Talk, *>> > >> > * I was hoping to engage the community regarding the speed limit and > police presence on Trapelo Road. We were taking the family today to dinner, > and like many days, there was a police presence taking speed limits by > Lexington Road coming downhill where the speed is difficult to control. We > are conscious of this these days, but my overarching feeling is that they > are typically pulling over Lincoln residents where the risk of accident or > untoward event is quite limited. *>> > >> > * Appreciate any input from the community. *>> > >> > * Happy holidays to all. *>> > >> > * Marcus *>> > >> > * Winter street *>> > * Lincoln, MA *>> > * -- *>> > * The LincolnTalk mailing list. *>> > * To post, send mail to Lincoln at lincolntalk.org. > <https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln> *>> > * Browse the archives at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > <https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/> *>> > * Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > <https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.> *>> > > > * -- *> > * The LincolnTalk mailing list. *> > * To post, send mail to Lincoln at lincolntalk.org. > <https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln> *> > * Browse the archives at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > <https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/> *> > * Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > <https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.> *> > >
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