'Someone's going to get seriously hurt': Fox Chapel residents concerned about speeding

Fox Chapel resident Byron Falchetti wants motorists to slow down when driving in the borough.

“It’s getting worse,” Falchetti told borough officials Monday. “Someone’s going to get seriously hurt and there’s going to be liability issues. I don’t think it’s right.

“I have never seen a car pulled over for speeding or someone getting a ticket. Maybe there are people getting tickets. It’s not out there on a daily basis.”

The longtime resident said the major problem areas are along Fox Chapel Road, Fairview and Old Mill roads.

He said he would like to see more officers in those areas writing tickets.

Resident Mara Baginski talked about aggressive drivers at the intersection of Easton and West Chapel Ridge roads.

She said there was an incident about two weeks ago involving a driver going around a school bus when it had its lights flashing, which is a traffic violation that, if convicted, results in a loss of license for 60 days and a $250 fine.

Baginski said other motorists at that intersection are doing rolling stops at the stop signs and one driver nearly hit her and husband.

Police Chief Michael Stevens said his department does not minimize any resident reports and welcomes their traffic information.

“Traffic safety and school bus safety is my highest priority,” Stevens said. “There’s a lot of school bus stops in Fox Chapel. We have officers dispatched to as many as we can.”

State school bus laws state motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arm extended.

Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.

More information about Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law is available at penndot.pa.gov.

Stevens said officers rely heavily on school bus drivers, as well as resident witnesses, when it comes to enforcing such violations.

Speeding enforcement

Fox Chapel police use the AccuTrak speed enforcement system, which uses painted lines on roadways and an officer-operated device similar to a stopwatch.

Officers have used this system on multiple roads throughout the borough.

Stevens said PennDOT regulations prohibit officers from pulling over speeders unless they are going at least 11 mph over the speed limit. He said officers have some flexibility during the traffic stop.

“Basically, 15 (mph) over is generally when we’ll pull a car over and issue citations when they are doing 20 mph over,” the chief said. “That’s kind of the standard. There’s flexibility to it. Using the data that we receive, officers would sit there for quite a while to be able to pull one car over.”

Municipal police departments are not permitted to use radar for traffic enforcement in Pennsylvania, Stevens said.

Stevens said his department keeps a list of drivers who received speeding warnings.

Councilwoman Betsy Monroe asked about sharing that list with neighboring departments. She suggested drivers speeding and “blowing through stop signs” in the borough may be doing so in adjacent communities.

Baginski said stronger enforcement and more ticketing may result in driver behavioral changes.

“I think that the ticket brings a bigger warning because people have to reach into their pockets, and they also then have points on their license,” she said.

“If they want to contest those points,” Baginski continued. “They have to take time out of their day to go all the way to the magistrate and fight that ticket. That is leaving a lasting impression on somebody.”

Council members acknowledged the need to do more to get speeding under control.

“We’ve got to change the mindset (of these drivers),” councilman Fred Leech said. “Public safety is too important, and we’ve got to really address it.”

Stevens said his officers are enforcing traffic laws, and drivers need to be aware of their surroundings.

He encouraged residents to alert officers of aggressive driving incidents. People can call Fox Chapel police at 412-963-7220.