To the Editor:
To those officials in Gt. Barrington and elsewhere considering making streets safer for pedestrians:
Having spent over the years much time abroad, and currently four months every winter in Mexico, I’d like to suggest a significant solution to reducing pedestrian accidents, particularly at crosswalks. Among other countries Mexico installs “topes” or as we call them speed bumps.
These have warnings in advance suggesting a reduction in speed to virtually a walking pace of 3-4 mph. The consequence of not doing so is the equivalent of hitting a significant pothole.
Even coming into a rural area, not necessarily a crosswalk, the warning of a speed bump ahead slows traffic before entering a village, town, school zone, etc..
For some unfathomable reason Stockbridge has removable speed bumps on Elm Street, presumably so that in winter snowplows don’t hit them. The removing of them is absurd. Surely in winter with ice and snow, the chance of an accident is significantly increased, and those that are plowing would be fully aware of their locations along with the warning signs for vehicular traffic.
Many of us, including myself, from time to time miss seeing speed limit reduction signs. With speed bumps one cannot miss them and IF missing them this will NEVER follow with a 2nd miss!
Christopher Owen
Stockbridge
