Monterey Police Department reporting zero speeding citations during an intensive month-long traffic enforcement operation on Crain Street.
Chief of Police John Mackie said the department dedicated significant man-hours to the residential road following complaints from a local resident regarding speeding vehicles. Mackie said the patrols occurred during the previous school year and resulted in no violations being recorded despite the increased police presence.
“So, some residents on Crane Street had some problems with speeding, we done traffic control over there and caught no one,” Mackie said. “But they did put some speed bumps down, and I think that solved all their problems.”
Mackie said the volume of traffic on the street was minimal, averaging roughly two vehicles per hour during the observation periods.
“It’s just a lot of manpower put into a little road and I need to put that manpower into other roads as well, not just one single road,” Mackie said.
Mackie said the department utilized radar and conducted direct traffic control to verify the claims of excessive speed. Mackie said while some neighbors reported seeing speeders, others told officers they had not witnessed any issues.
“Some of the neighbors was complaining that people were speeding there, but like I said, we done traffic control over there and caught no one speeding,” Mackie said.
Mackie said the resident who initially brought the complaints to the city council was Brian Williams, who is currently a candidate for Monterey city alderman. Mackie said the city eventually installed speed bumps in two locations on the hill to address the perceived problem.
Williams said on two or three occasions, him and his family almost got hit head on. Since then, he said he started a local petition with his neighbors to come up with solutions to the traffic problem. Williams said the speed bump has helped to slow down motor vehicles.
“It really just affects me and my neighbor across the street, the other neighbors can come and go without going over the speed bump,” Williams said. “It has really helped to slow the traffic down.”
Mackie said the department continues to monitor all roadways in Monterey for various violations, including registration issues and impaired driving.