Patrolling the Rail Trail

Saugus Police have maintained a bicycle presence on Northern Strand Community Trail as they await AG approval of a new bylaw passed by Town Meeting

 

By Mark E. Vogler

 

For the second consecutive summer, the Saugus Police Department has uniformed officers pedaling up and down the town’s Rail Trail, doing their best to make sure the public is protected from crime and unsafe conditions as much as possible. Police are still waiting for the state Attorney General’s Office to approve a new bylaw passed by the Annual Town Meeting in late May that will empower them to fine people for operating unauthorized vehicles or speeding on the 2.5-mile segment of the Northern Strand Community Trail that runs through Saugus. Meanwhile, their current approach is more of a public education/community policing one supported by warnings, in addition to engaging on a personal level with joggers, walkers and bicyclists who travel the rail trail for exercise and relaxation, according to Saugus Police Chief Michael Riccardelli.

“It’s more of an informational thing right now because we can’t enforce the bylaw until it’s been approved,” Chief Riccardelli told The Saugus Advocate this week.

“When we see motor vehicles there that shouldn’t be, we’re speaking to the people. I believe the public is happy to see a police presence on the rail trail. I think they like seeing us out there, especially at night,” the chief said.

“The feedback we’ve been getting has been great. We’ve gotten a lot of positive emails. I use the rail trail myself. I usually walk the dog on the rail trail. I’ve run into people who tell me they like seeing the police on the rail trail,” he said.

 

No complaints about unruly kids

During recent years, selectmen have fielded resident complaints about unruly kids on bicycles terrorizing pedestrians out on walks, and even motorists trying to drive around town.

Three summers ago, Precinct 2 Town Meeting Member Robert J. Camuso, Sr. crafted a long email to selectmen titled “Kids riding into oncoming traffic & vandalism in our parks.” “These dangerous stunts & playing chicken with traffic is illegal and happening more & more every day,” Camuso wrote. “Before someone gets hurt or killed, we need to address this because car VS bicycle…car wins every time.”

Camuso’s letter prompted some considerable discussion at Board of Selectmen’s meetings, which continued for several years. But the public complaints that proliferated on social media and spilled over into selectmen’s meetings have declined since Chief Riccardelli authorized the formation of voluntary police patrols on mountain bicycles after the rail trail opened in late 2022. The nature of complaints nowadays mostly involves unauthorized vehicles on the rail trail and reports of vehicles – authorized and unauthorized – traveling too fast while instilling fear in walkers of all ages.

Chief Riccardelli credited the decline in complaints about unruly kids on bicycles with the creation of the rail trail bicycle unit, which operates from spring into the fall. The patrol also includes coverage of schools, parks and playgrounds in Cliftondale and throughout Saugus.

“I think having a strong police force, especially on the rail trail has made a difference,” Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta told The Saugus Advocate this week.

“I noticed that as well and immediately made the connection,” Panetta said of the apparent decline in complaints about kids on bicycles causing trouble.

“Our Police Department is doing a great job,” Panetta said.

 

The need for a bylaw

When the Saugus segment of the rail trail opened in late 2022, selectmen – including Panetta – began fielding new complaints about dangerous situations involving speeding bicycles and motorized vehicles putting joggers and walkers at risk. Those concerns prompted Panetta to craft an article to create a town bylaw with regulations for the rail trail at this year’s Annual Town Meeting. After hearing a few of the horror stories from residents, including from their own colleagues, Town Meeting members voted unanimously to approve a bylaw that empowers police to regulate activity on the rail trail.

Cars, motorcycles, ATV vehicles and other gas-powered vehicles are not allowed on the rail trail.

A major feature of the rail trail bylaw approved by Town Meeting is a 15 mph speed limit for motorized vehicles on a multi-use trail, including electric bicycles and electric scooters. The regulations define potential uses and stipulate restrictions. Violations of the ordinance can be punishable by a $100 fine for a first offense and a $250 fine for each additional expense. Police also have the power to tow and store at the owner’s expense any unauthorized vehicles.

“Although I walk the rail trail, I do not know the safety statistics since the article was passed,” Panetta told The Saugus Advocate.

“With that said, I checked with the Town clerk today (Wednesday, Aug. 7), and Article 27 has not come back from the Attorney General’s office which means it has not made it into our Town bylaws yet,” Panetta said. “I can tell you that the Chief was very supportive of the article and stated that the bylaw would give our bicycle patrol officers that authority that they need to keep the rail trail safe and orderly. I know there are more police patrols on the rail trail / bike path, and I sincerely appreciate everything they are doing to keep our community safe. I am very thankful to Town Meeting for their unanimous support and Chief Ricciardelli for helping me with this important bylaw change.”

“As a Saugus resident and someone who uses the rail trail on a regular basis, I can tell you that the use of motorized/electrical bicycles and scooters on the rail trail has become problematic,” Ricciardelli wrote in a letter to selectmen in early May supporting Panetta’s rail trail bylaw.

Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Jeff Cicolini, another selectman who was vocal on the problems created by unruly kids, said he is impressed with the way police have responded to a new set of problems related to the rail trail. “I think our Police Department is doing a great job at proactively dealing with situations on the trail,” Cicolini told The Saugus Advocate this week.

“I know the chief and the deputy chief have assigned bike patrols to the rail trail and the feedback has been very positive thus far. I have full confidence that our leadership at the SPD will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments and add resources as necessary,” Cicolini said.

“I am proud of the great work our police department does to keep our residents safe and allow them the ability to roam freely in our community without feeling at risk,” he said.

 

“Most people are respectful”

More than 20 Saugus police officers have been trained to ride mountain bikes and patrol the rail trail, according to Chief Ricciardelli. The department has six mountain bikes in commission and is in the process of adding several more to the bike fleet, he said.

Assistant Police Chief Ron Giorgetti oversees the rail trail patrol. He confers daily with the volunteer officers who are assigned to one of two shifts – one that runs from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. followed by another shift that runs from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Some patrols have two officers working in tandem. Some have one officer riding solo. It depends on the availability of personnel on a given day, according to Giorgetti.

“It’s been well-received by the public,” Giorgetti said.

“It gives them a sense of security, having a police presence out there. It gives the officers an opportunity to speak to the residents and the youth. This interaction with the public also educates residents about bike safety and what’s prohibited, pending the bylaw going into effect,” he said.

Giorgetti said he wasn’t aware of any citations given out, as the Police Department isn’t able to use the bylaw regulations yet. “We don’t get a lot of calls [about potential violations],” the assistant chief said.

“Right now, we’re working more as a police presence, just to deter in case of any violations,” Giorgetti said.

No statistics were available on the number of bicycle-car or pedestrian-car accidents at the intersections where the rail trail crosses a street. Pedestrians and bicyclists are supposed to hit the button to activate the flashing warning light that alerts motorists approaching the crosswalk to stop because of pedestrians or bicyclists crossing the street.

“I’m sure there have been incidents of pedestrians and motor vehicles and bicycles and motor vehicles,” Giorgetti said.

“No fatalities that I know of,” he said.

Police and town officials have done as much as they can to make the intersections as safe as possible, according to Chief Ricciardelli. “You are supposed to turn the light on when you want to cross,” the chief said.

“I don’t know what else we can do. Driving into traffic is on them,” the chief said of bicyclists not activating the flashing lights before crossing.

“Shame on them for not using it [the warning button],” he said. At the same time, pedestrians and bicyclists using the trail still need to be cautious when the flashing light is on, because some motorists may drive right over the crosswalk without stopping, the chief added.

Use of the rail trail continues to increase with a mix of users, including walkers, runners, family members with baby strollers, people walking their dogs, people using skateboards, electric bicycles and electric skateboards. Many are out-of-towners passing through Saugus on their way to another community connected by the rail trail.

Issues and problems occasionally surface, according to Giorgetti. But nothing serious so far. “I think overall, most people are respectful of one-another, ” the assistant chief said.

 

A recent car incident

Every responsible person who is knowledgeable of the rules of the road knows that cars are banned from the rail trail, according to Chief Ricciardelli. But at least one person deliberately violated that rule, according to the chief. Police are investigating an incident in which the driver of a car posted a video of the incident on the Internet last month.

“We’re trying to figure out who it is,” said the chief, who has viewed the video.

“He was able to hide his license plate. He was looking to get clicks on social media,” the chief said, describing the incident as intentional.

Pending the approval of the bylaw by the state attorney general, the Saugus Police Department is legally limited in what it can do.

However, the Police Department does have the power to enforce the state law that requires any person 16 years old and younger to wear a helmet when they ride a bicycle, skateboard, scooter or other manually or electrically propelled vehicle. “If they’re not wearing the bike helmet, we can confiscate the bike and notify the parents to come down and get it,” Chief Ricciardelli said.

“We’ve done that a couple of times. We try to talk to the kid first. But it’s something we do [confiscate the bike], if the kid has an attitude,” he said.

It’s possible the state attorney general’s office won’t approve the new town bylaw until after the summer or fall. But Chief Ricciardelli isn’t worried and expects the bylaw to take effect sometime this summer or fall.

“It’s very similar to a lot of the bylaws of cities and towns in the surrounding area,” the chief said. The chief said he spoke with several area police chiefs who have similar bylaws in place and they all credited the bylaw to helping to keep their rail trails safe and orderly. “It’s a matter of when, not if the bylaw takes effect,” the chief said.