Belmont Police To Increase Traffic Patrols On Trapelo Road

BELMONT, MA — Get ready to see increased police patrols along Trapelo Road in Belmont. Police reached out to the community on Facebook to ask where residents thought there needed to be more traffic enforcement — the results came in on Friday and it was almost an even split.

The department created a Facebook poll for residents to answer and comment on. The poll had two options: Trapelo Road near Waverley Square or Concord Avenue near the Library and High School. The poll opened on Monday and closed at the end of the week, gaining 356 votes and 31 comments.

Trapelo Road won the poll by just ten percentage points — Concord Avenue earned 45 percent of the vote while Trapelo Road earned 55 percent.

The department said it will focus patrols on targeting aggressive driving, speeding, red light/crosswalk violations and more. An officer will be at Trapelo Road between Slade Street and Waverley Square enforcing motor vehicle violations.

The comments under the poll were filled with further suggestions of locations for the department to consider for future enforcement. Problem areas included Common Street in Cushing Square, where commenters said drivers often use the turning lane to drive straight, make illegal U-turns and is a hot-spot for double parking.

One commenter said, "It is a terrible intersection now with the whole Starbucks/ construction entrance nightmare. Cars and pedestrians just creating chaos."

No word on whether the department will take the extra comments into consideration. Increased patrols on Trapelo will start on Sunday.