‘This is a public health issue’

WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

BY MATT MARTINEZ

The Berkshire Eagle

PITTSFIELD — At a roundtable discussion about road safety, Galen Mook suggested a reframing: look at traffic calming measures as an extension of civil rights.

Mook, executive director of MassBike, was speaking Wednesday at a World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims event at the Pittsfield Community Design Center on North Street. The discussion was part of a day of observance honoring all victims who have lost their lives in roadway crashes, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and motorcycle riders among others.

The event also included a vigil to honor the lives of the 13 Berkshire County residents who died this year in traffic crashes. Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Senior Transportation Planner Nicholas Russo read the names of the victims, including Michael DeMarsico, who died Sunday in a pedes-train collision in Adams.

Mook discussed the importance of advocating for traffic calming measures, such as bike lanes and raised crosswalks, while also presenting them as net positives for everyone on the road. He argued that Americans should be able to get on a public way safely, regardless of their mode of transportation.

That’s an outcome that only can be achieved when cars slow down and behaviors among drivers change, he said — putting the onus of responsibility for safety on motorists, who are capable of the most harm in a collision.

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