Selectmen discuss bike path speeding issues
Bike riders continue to disregard stop signs where the bike path crosses Mattapoisett Neck Road and Brandt Island Road.
On Tuesday, Selectmen discussed how to make the intersections safer.
Town Administrator Mike Gagne suggested installing crosswalk signs on the roads to slow traffic.
“The only concern I have is that people on bikes believe they are pedestrians,” said Selectmen Chair Tyler Macallister. “They’re not adhering to their own stop signs.”
Resident Paul Osenkowski spoke in favor of signs to slow down cars, preferring signs in the middle of the road that would offer more visibility.
“I know the safety officer [Justin King] has a problem with putting something in the center of the road,” he said.
But Osenkowski said a new sign on the side of the road would get lost amongst those already there. He said kids are too prone to rush into the intersections without paying attention to fast-moving cars.
“The biggest worry is the munchkins. You’ve got to slow them down,” he said.
Selectman Paul Silva suggested another solution might be to add speed bumps to the bike path.
“We need to slow the bikes,” said Silva. “I think we have to find out what other communities are doing.”
Gagne said he will speak with King and research how other towns handle traffic at bike path intersections.