To the editor:

I am writing to set the record straight regarding a comment in Speakout entitled "Someone will be killed or hurt" that was published in the June 1, 2023 edition of the Phoenix.

The caller states: “We already had one little child killed. Remember that? Because people weren’t stopping. Bicycles don’t stop when they’re crossing streets. The cars are responsible for stopping.”

When that unfortunate accident occurred in July of 2018 at the intersection of Poppasquash Road and the East Bay Bike Path, there were no stop signs in either direction for traffic on Poppasquash Road. However, stop signs were posted in both directions of the bike path.

Today there are stop signs for traffic on Poppasquash Road. There are also stop signs for those using the bike path at most, if not all, street crossings between Bristol and Providence, although in my experience they are rarely obeyed. Perhaps the caller is correct: “Bicycles don’t stop when they’re crossing streets,” but if they don’t, they are ignoring the stop signs.

Kate Martin
Wellesley, Mass.