Many drivers will need to slow down on Berryhill and Henry Streets or find themselves with a pricey ticket.
Commuters along Berryhill Street in Milton may have noticed and increased police presence on the street recently. The increased patrol from the Milton Police Department is the result of complaints about excessive speeds on the roadway said Police Chief Greg Brand. He said the results collected from the department’s speed detection equipment raised concerns.
“We have a traffic data collection device that we put out in different parts of the city at various times. It tell us how fast the traffic is going and it also tells us at what time of day,” Brand said. “Berryhill has gotten a little too far out of line.”
While the department had the collection device near Berryhill, Brand said the department received a few complaints from citizens living in the neighborhood at the same time.
“The data collected more than validated those complaints,” Brand said. ‘The speed limit is 25 and it is a residential street and so my directive to my (officers) is to get out there and pay attention to it.”
Brand stressed the police will not give warning to drivers who are pulled over for speeding in those areas, but instead write a citation.
“It is not going to be ‘please slow down and have a nice day.’ It’s going to be ‘sign here for your citation’ for a while until we get this (under control).” Brand said.
Brand said his department has a traffic policy which addresses high priority speeding issues. Berryhill Street meets the criteria.
“Berryhill Street is a residential road without sidewalks and so the cars are competing with pedestrians and (bicyclists) for the same pavement,” Brand said. “That is not the place to be speeding 10 to 12 miles over the speed limit. So, I am discouraging my people of writing warnings on Berryhill.”
Brand said the same speeding concerns are occurring on Henry Street, which connects to Canal Street. Brand believes many drivers may not consider the street to be residential. However, the roadway entering the city from Bagdad, does enter a residential area.
“Just because it opens up for a little bit without too many houses, does not mean it’s okay to turn it in to a speedway,” Brand said.
Ultimately, Brand said it is up to the discretion of his officers on whether to write a citation or give a warning, adding an officer typically will not pursue a driver violating a speed limit over five miles.
In addition to encouraging drivers to obey speed limits, Brand also wants citizens to continue contacting the department should they have concerns regarding speeding or any other suspicious activities.
“My police officers are out there, but no officer knows the neighborhood that you live in as well as you do,” Brand said. “A police officer is not spending his entire shift in one neighborhood, so if you see things that are out of the ordinary to you, call us,” he said.
Brand said for drivers to be conscious of wearing their seat belts. Milton Police Department will begin ‘Click it or Ticket’ November 17 through November 30. Officers will be looking specifically for seat belt violations.
For emergencies call 911, to reach the non-emergency for the Milton Police Department call 983-5423.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Milton Police increase presence on Berryhill, Henry Streets