MassBike Day of Action to Make Streets Safer for Cyclists

The briefing saw a half-dozen speakers impressing the importance of road safety cameras from different perspectives. State Senator William Brownsberger and Representative Steve Owens welcomed everyone, emphasizing how strongly they feels about this particular technology in protecting vulnerable people on our roads. MassBike's UCLA law externship student Casey Simon-Plumb explained the ramifications of the bill for a municipality's options for traffic enforcement, and Somerville Mayor Jake Wilson frankly outlined his support for automated enforcement, saying that it was "just common sense." Four members of Families for Safe Streets Massachusetts spoke, all of whom had lost someone to traffic violence, reminding us of the reasons why we do this work. Worcester Police Sergeant Foley, joined by Chief Saucier, expounded on the difficulties in enforcing speed limits and how Worcester declared traffic crashes a "crisis" due dangerous driving, and he described the burden he personally faces as his job requires him to tell people about their family members who had been killed in a crash. Chief Saucier noted that his department is down 58 officers this year due to budget constraints, and having this tool will help them increase enforcement to be both equitable and affordable for the department. Audience members later described the deep emotional impact the featured speakers had on them. Watch the briefing and find out how to take action to support this bill.