All phone use should be banned while driving. Our lives are worth it. If people are so self-centered that a ban is not feasible, we should at least ban all hand-held devices. While studies have shown that all use of all phones is a danger, a ban on hand-held devices would prohibit texting behind the wheel which is far more dangerous than anything else. From an enforcement standpoint, the only workable solution to making texting while driving illegal is to ban all hand-held use as officers cannot be expected to distinguish calling from texting by a driver in a moving vehicle.

I believe in large part this is an issue of speeding. While I agree it's a danger for pedestrians to rush into crosswalks, expecting cars to stop, it's become a battle of wills we must do everything to keep Salem a walking city, and a safe one

That said, the best way is to hit offenders in their pocketbook through traffic enforcement citations. Cameras, speed gauges - whatever it takes. But that will require police commitment.

Get the police out of Dunkin Donuts and on the streets. When is the last time you saw speed enforcement in Salem? In fact, when was the last time you saw anyone stopped for either not yielding to a pedestrian, failure to use turn signals, or any one of a host of violations that could turn catastrophic? For that matter when was the last time you saw a bicyclist cited for riding the wrong way down the street?

I have lived off of North Street for many years, travel on it daily, and have never once seen a traffic patrol cop.
I will admit to probably driving too fast down that road sometimes; it is easy and tempting to do when you hit a rare moment of no traffic, it is a straight street to speed on, and there are never speed traps.
And on the other had, I am often a pedestrian feeling not so safe walking and crossing North Street. I even opt for walking down the sketchy HMA path to the train station then over that bridge. I would rather face off with the homeless then a large metal car.

As someone who walks around town everyday, I see it all. Weather I am walking from the wharf to city hall, to Steve's Market or just for a walk with the dog, I see it all. Personally, I know that drivers around here are awful. For this reason, I use the cross walk signal 100% of the time. I don't care if no cars are coming, I wait for the little white man to light up and then I go. I once saw a women crossing in front of Tavern on the Square with a small group of children. A MBTA bus was doing a turn and the woman and kids just kept walking. The bus had to come to a Sharp stop and beeped the horn. The woman became enraged and said "I'm walking here, slow it down" (the real words were quite worse). So I ask this, what gives her the right to cross the street when its clearly not her turn and yell at the driver who is following the laws? Would it be ok for a driver to simply not follow the traffic lights and drive past a red light? The majority of the crossing walk issues are with the people walking, they need to follow the rules just like the drivers. Yes, there are times when its clearly the drivers fault, however I would say its the people walking who think its fine to cross when, where and at any time they want. I will say again, I walk everyday, I don't drive, I have no sides of the drivers, I just speak the truth and speak what I see on a daily basis. Happy holidays to everyone.

It's really simple.
PAY ATTENTION!
When walking, driving, skipping, jogging...
What the hell? Do you not care for your own life and others around you? You think it won't happen? Jeez, and you people pushing baby strollers...what are you thinking? Check before you march into the street!
Drivers tend to suck at driving around here.
Better signing might help, but only if you try to PAY ATTENTION! It's not that expensive, y'know?
Be good out there....

How can cops pull cars over safely on North st? They don't even have a place to do traffic surveilence! Hess gas station has so many driveways in and out it is very scary to walk by there. Cars coming down the overpass are going left to go to the dog park they block the flow of traffic in the worst way then people speed up after being stopped waiting for this, they never stop for the people in the cross walk, Please make the bottom of the overpass on the westbound no left turns to commercial st!

They should put some kind of reflectors dotting the crosswalks because cars don't seem to even slow down or stop when your standing in one.

if all of you are wondering where the police are all the time read the article posted here today SALEM'S MOST BIZZARE POLICE CALLS OF 2012

You can't legislate stupid, - but the Mass. pols will try.

In many places in Salem a driver's view of a pedestrian 6 feet out into the crosswalk is obscured by cars legally parked very near the crosswalk. A pedestrian needs to get out far enough to be seen and then wait for the cars to stop. I see this as a common situation and very dangerous. Is the answer to prohibit cars from parking so close to the crosswalk?

I can't speak for North St since I don't travel that way often but I have noticed there are a lot of people crossing Derby St. to get to Dunkin Donuts, Brothers, and Beer Works, the latter often after dark, and that area is very dark and hard for drivers to see pedestrians, even those in the crosswalks. When it's dark and raining, forget it. That area needs to have better lighting.

I've been hit crossing there on Derby. The purple lighting is part of the problem. Not to mention the idjits that thought putting the light there next to a tree was a good idea. That place is nuts during Halloween, and I've seen many other close calls.
Mayor, please implement a change BEFORE we have to read about a child being more than hurt, rather than decide to try it after the fact. Generate city wide AWARENESS. Maybe?

I agree. The more traffice enforcement the better the odds are that these things wont happen as often. Boston St over by the Shell gas station is horrible and even with the cross walk and light its horrible to cross.