“Before one of our kids gets killed”

Officials pushing for a public forum on bike safety issues on the bike trail and on streets through town

By Mark E. Vogler

Last month’s death of a 13-year-old boy who drove his electric dirt bike into a car in Stoneham has fueled widespread concerns among citizens and officials in Saugus on what the town can do to prevent similar tragedies locally. There is already discussion among town officials and citizens over taking steps to improve unsafe conditions involving the use of e-bikes not just on the bike trail – but also on streets throughout town.

“I don’t want to wait till one of our kids gets killed,” Selectman Jeffrey Cicolini said during a citizens’ comment period that evolved into a serious discussion between residents and selectmen at the Nov. 25 Board of Selectmen’s meeting.

Cicolini, who is already involved with discussions for a public forum early next year on bike safety and related matters, said it’s important to have the schools and public safety officials involved in the discussions. “It’s imperative to have the schools involved,” Cicolini said of future public discussions that the town organizes.

“There are schools that have actually banned the bike [e-bike] from school property,” he said.

In recent weeks, citizens attending Board of Selectmen meetings have shared their concerns about the dangers of e-bikes and illegal vehicles that have traveled on the town’s bike trails. The concerns have involved bike riders driving through crosswalks intersecting with the parts of the rail trail without pushing the yellow warning light.

Public safety concerns aren’t just limited to the bike trail. Citizens have complained on social media about kids on bicycles – some of them e-bikes – endangering themselves and others on various streets throughout town. There was even a report of a student getting hit by an e-bike.

Cicolini stressed that officials need to take a hard line against kids who put others at risk. “There’s always going to be a group of kids who defy logic and defy the rules,” Cicolini said.

“You have to have consequences,” he said.

When a parent is held accountable for a kid’s bad behavior by having to pay a fee or penalty, that will cause many kids to think about their actions, Cicolini suggested.

Involving the schools, public safety and representatives from all precincts in the town in any future forum will be more effective, he said. “If we take a unified approach, we’ll probably get more buy-in,” he said.

Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree suggested that officials “reach out to the kids who actually have the bikes.”

Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta said officials need to work together to “try to minimize any traffic issues and fatalities.”

Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Anthony Cogliano said it is important to get public safety involved in the ongoing discussions.