Quincy, MA officials are responding to a slew of pedestrian accidents in the city this year.
“Something is happening here; something is going on in the City of Quincy that is leading to fatalities,” said Brian Palmucci, City Councilor and chairman of the public safety committee, at Monday night’s council meeting.
At least 92 pedestrian accidents have taken place in Quincy this year, including a November 16 accident outside the Kam Man Marketplace on Quincy Avenue, police said. Three of these accidents were fatal. “This is probably the most important public safety issue facing us,” stated city council President Michael McFarland.
Police have stopped 242 motorists and issued 181 citations between May 1 and the expiration of the grant on September 30, said James Fatseas, Mayor Thomas Koch’s chief of staff.
Fatseas said police are conducting undercover sting operations at high-volume intersections. In one such operation, an undercover female police officer pushes an empty baby carriage across a crosswalk. When someone drives through the crosswalk without yielding, a police officer located farther down the road pulls over the motorist.
The city began a campaign earlier this year to educate the public about pedestrian safety, and the police department has received a $5,000 state grant that will support pedestrian safety enforcement and education.
A number of city councilors recommended approaches other than education and enforcement. “Sometimes it takes engineering and technology, not just education and enforcement,” said City Councilor Douglas Gutro. Councilors proposed strategies such as helping business owners pay for safety upgrades outside their businesses, looking into luminescent signs and crosswalk treatments, and teaching school children safe driving practices.
Councilors discussed whether pedestrians or drivers are more to blame for the accidents.
Councilor Kevin Coughlin said both motorists and walkers are responsible, “No one seems to pay attention to the fact that we have crosswalks.”
A state analysis of intersection clusters with the most pedestrian accidents between 2002 and 2010 found that Quincy fared poorly. A number of accidents at the Quincy Center intersection of Hancock and Granite streets ranked the seventh-worth cluster in the state.
Massachusetts Car and Pedestrian Accidents
Our Massachusetts Car Accident Attorneys have been representing people injured in accidents for over 40 years. If you are a pedestrian who has been injured in an accident involving a vehicle of any kind, such as a car, truck, atv, or snowmobile, please contact one of our experienced Boston personal injury attorneys here at Altman & Altman, LLP for a free case evaluation. We only charge a fee if we are successful in securing for you a settlement or successful verdict.
Source: Pedestrian accidents spur Quincy to beef up enforcement, education, www.patriotledger.com, December 4, 2012.