As the number of vehicles using our roadways continues to grow, so too does pressure to make certain streets off-limits, at least during peak commuting hours.
You've seen it in almost every community: A road that used to be a convenient short-cut is posted as one-way during certain times of the day. Other tactics include prohibiting left-hand turns onto certain streets or posting them as dead-end when they're really not.
But as much as politicians might want to cater to those residents who feel there are too many cars using their street, such prohibitions should be looked at skeptically. For as is pointed out in a letter elsewhere on this page, barring traffic from one street simply pushes it onto another.
That's the problem officials in Salem are having as they consider ways to make Raymond Road — a popular cut-through between Marblehead and the South Salem neighborhood — safer for both drivers and pedestrians. And it's a dilemma their counterparts in Peabody will face when they reduce the number of lanes on Main Street later this year, given the limited number of routes linking that city's downtown with Salem.
An enhanced police presence over a number of weeks might be a deterrent when speeding is a problem. And by all means make those who disobey the limits pay a hefty price for doing so.
But it's important for these officials to keep in mind that the streets are owned and maintained by the public at large for the purpose of moving traffic. Closing one of them for any period of time should be a last resort.
Let those clamoring for such restrictions vow to give up their own automobiles to guarantee they won't impinge on the peace, quiet and safety of any other neighborhood.
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