Springfield City Councilor Zaida Govan stands on the median at a busy stretch of Parker Street urging motorists to slow down.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
SPRINGFIELD — A steady flow of vehicles streamed along Parker Street in both directions. It was rush hour on Oct. 28 and drivers were pouring past the Greenleaf Community Center.
“When I do traffic control here, I park at [Parker Pizzeria] and I get people coming this way,” said Springfield police officer Elvin Andino, gesturing toward the intersection of Parker Street and Wilbraham Road, within sight of the community center.
The police are not the only ones trying to do something about speeding motorists. On this fall afternoon, nearly 20 people stand along the roadside, holding signs that read “Check Your Speed.”
Among the demonstrators, mostly volunteers from the Sixteen Acres Civic Association and Indian Orchard Citizens’ Council, is state Rep. Orlando Ramos (D-Springfield). Representing northern Springfield, including Indian Orchard, Ramos said his office receives many complaints about speeding on the thoroughfare.
Crossing the road on this section of Parker Street is dangerous and not only because traffic tends to speed along the straight 5.2-mile artery that runs through the city’s Indian Orchard, Boston Road and Sixteen Acres neighborhoods. From the vantage point of the community center, there are no crosswalks visible in either direction.
There have been several accidents on Parker Street in recent years. According to the state’s IMPACT traffic dashboard, Parker Street, which has a maximum speed limit of 35 MPH, has seen 105 accidents in the past year, 28 of which happened near the community center. Within the past five years, 929 of the city’s 19,255 vehicle accidents, close to 5%, have occurred on Parker Street. So far this year, there have been 11 traffic fatalities in the city.
In 2018, Reysean Maldonado was in a Parker Street crosswalk on his bike when he was struck by a vehicle. The teen spent nearly a year in the hospital and had to learn how to walk again. Now 21, Maldonado still struggles with speech and only recently has regained the use of his right arm.
Jacquline Farrow is the office manager at the Indian Orchard Citizens’ Council, where Maldonado works.
“He has a long road ahead of him,” she said of Maldonado, who participated in the standout.
Passing vehicles frequently honked their horns in support of the demonstrators. Crawford believes that support will translate into slower speeds.
“When we do standouts on Boston Road, we see people slow down. It’s a reminder: check your speed. They say, ‘Oh, I am going over.’”
City Councilor Lavar Click-Bruce, who participated along with fellow City Councilors Zaida Govan and Jose Delgado, said, “The onus is on our residents. Can we do something with a speed hump? Maybe that’s something we can look at with our DPW director, Chris Cignoli, but we’re trying to raise awareness. You’ve got to be responsible for yourself. We’re here and we’ll be here every week if we have to.”
Delgado said police presence is also a tool to address speeding. “Speed traps help you change driver behavior. Back in the day, when you knew the state police were out, you slowed down,” he said.
Parker Street is not the only place speeding occurs. Andino said there are many stretches of road in Springfield where speeding is a problem. Delgado said speeding is not limited to the main roads. He said that while campaigning he has seen vehicles exceed what is safe in residential neighborhoods. In addition to speed humps, he said the city should consider flashing crosswalk signs and road markings.
“We need to educate our people that are walking, too,” Delgado said. “Please, use the crosswalk, don’t walk in the middle of the road.”
