Easton residents from all parts of town said their neighborhood streets have become dangerous with speeding drivers and asked town leaders to act, at the July 18 Board of Selectmen meeting.
Easton Police Richard Doyle, who attended the meeting, discussed with residents how the Easton Police Department is currently dealing with speeding motorists and what more can be done to remedy the issue.
Options to combat traffic-related concerns discussed at the meeting include installing speed bumps, speed enforcement cameras, and additional speed signs to collect traffic data, as well as hiring additional officers or increasing the overtime budget for traffic patrol and applying for state funding to make changes to state roads.
David Antonez was one of several people who spoke at the meeting. He said he’s raised concerns with the police department about drivers speeding on Judd Road for almost 18 years, and nothing has been done except putting up an occasional speed radar.
“Over that 18-year period speeding has gotten severely worse,” said Antonez. “In one instance I had a passenger car go off the road, didn’t make the corner by my house and (went) straight into the woods.”
Last month, three people were sent to the hospital in two separate car crashes on Route 59 that closed the roadway for hours. And last year, after a group of Burr Street residents appeared before the Police Commission concerned about speeding drivers who are causing multiple accidents on their residential street, the police department coordinated with the Public Works Department to remove trees on the roadway and stepped up selective enforcement.
Doyle said he understands residents’ concerns and said speeding drivers are a national problem. But a three-year analysis of motor vehicle accidents he shared at the meeting shows that accidents have not increased in town. In 2023, there were 117 accidents, down from 148 accidents in 2022. As of July 17, 2024, there were 63 accidents, according to Doyle.
Additionally, traffic enforcement is up in Easton due in part to a $50,000 rural road enforcement grant the police department received, said Doyle. The grant, administered through the state Department of Transportation and funded by the Federal Highway Administration, is released in $5,000 installments based on Easton’s percentage of traffic stops. Doyle said the department expects to receive another $5,000 installment to continue traffic enforcement.
In 2023, police made 492 motor vehicle stops, up from 441 in 2022. As of July 17, 2024 police have made 303 motor vehicle stops, according to Doyle.
“The data shows our officers are out there and doing what they can,” he said.
Antonez asked what the long-term plan or solution is, especially after the current grant is exhausted. “Do we need more officers to put on the streets to do this full-time?”
“The plan is to try to have a better presence out there,” Doyle said. “Ultimately, it becomes a Board of Finance issue. Do you want to hire two or three more cops?”
First Selectman David Bindelglass suggested that “the grant gives us an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of [adding] at least one additional officer. He added, “If you find that more officers make a difference, then we really need to discuss whether we want to find a way to make that change permanent.”
Bindelglass said that if the additional officer does not make a difference, then the town would need to discuss and explore other courses of action, including applying to the state to make changes to state roads outside of the town’s purview. Bindelglass pointed to the crossings at Silverman’s Farm on Route 59 and the Apple Barn on Route 58 as possible strategies, but said more information is needed.
“I think step one is see how we do with the grant, and if it makes a difference, then let’s talk about it,” said Bindelglass.
Selectman Kristi Sogofsky emphasized the importance of collecting and presenting data about the effectiveness of the current rural road enforcement grant to support any future recommendations.
Doyle noted that a more cost-effective solution might be to increase the existing overtime budget for additional traffic enforcement, rather than hiring another full-time officer.
After hearing all of the public input, Doyle said he would also look into the possibility of applying for additional grants to purchase more speed signs that collect traffic data and to fund speed enforcement cameras.
