Failed test drive in Revere and Everett for police details
By Jim StergiosOctober 3rd, 2008
Jessica Fargen reports in today’s Herald that police blocked two work sites where the state was test driving the policy of replacing police details with civilian flaggers.
Angry police union members chased away MWRA workers in Everett and Revere today citing safety concerns in the first test of the state’s new rules on road details.
In Everett, union members shouted and picketed the workers as they showed up to perform routine maintenance inside a manhole at 11:30 a.m. The MWRA crew left without doing any work.
In Revere, the union members followed the MWRA crew soon after to protest and a city police captain would not allow the two-man crew to work on a manhole their either.
“Your plan is faulty and we’re not going to allow you to work,” Revere Capt. James Guido told the MWRA crew.
Which raises a very good question about the regulations. Currently the regs say that state transportation officials have to develop a work site safety plan in consultation with local public safety officials. So, if Captain Guido told the MWRA crew to scram, had he already signed off on the plan? If not, the state folks should have gotten his John Hancock on the plan before sending folks out there. If they did reach out to the good captain and got his approval, then it would seem that Captain Guido, uh, overstepped his bounds.
Either way, we will see many more Captain Guidos at work sites, I’d guess, over the next few weeks. We will quickly see if the Governor is willing to use transportation dollars to get our public safety officials back into line.
Entry Filed under: Better Government, News
1 Comment Add your own
1. Captain James Guido | October 6th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Sir,
We were never consulted on the plan. An MWRA employee dropped off an envelope with a one page drawing at the front desk. the plan was flawed and did not account for parked motor vehicles on both sides of the work area. the plan also showed the manholes that they were going to be worked in out of the travel lane , which was not the case. the plan further showed two way traffic at all times which was not possible, and they had no provisions to direct traffic.
The MWRA was advised that they could set up if they were able to do the job as the plan showed.
They left because it was not possible.
At the Everett location the manhole was in the middle of the street on the double yellow line and would have blocked the entire street.
a final note, at no time did any police interfere with the mwra workers, they realized the plan would not work and left.
There are many unresolved issues that need to be addressed as the new regulation moves forward, such as: the posting and towing of motor vehicles in the work zone.
i would be more than happy to discuss this in a open public forum. It is my understanding that Mass Highway has been training flaggers and I would like to know what these employees are going to be paid, if you could email me the information it would be great.
Captain James Guido
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