Westfield Police welcome rail trail group’s donation of e-bike for patrols
By Cliff Clark, The Westfield News, April 30, 2024
Video: https://youtu.be/Go4KDOXZ0mU?si=Sa872Z3EcvtvpZLa
WESTFIELD — To enhance community policing and promote sustainable transportation solutions in the city, the Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail will formally donate an e-bike to the Westfield Police Department at 1 p.m. today.
“The donation of this e-bike will not only increase our capacity to educate trail users on laws and good manners but also increase our ability to patrol a larger area while reducing response times to emergencies in locations that might be hard to get to using our cruisers,” Police Capt. Eric Hall said of the donation.
Hall said having a bike-certified officer using the electrically powered bicycle has all the benefits of a walking officer, interacting with the public, but also allows the officer to respond more quickly than on foot, often faster than a patrolman in a cruiser.
He also said that when officers respond on an e-bike, they can arrive at the site of the emergency call less fatigued than if they had been on a traditional pedal bicycle, which may be a help if the emergency situation requires physical exertion from the officer.
The department previously had an e-bike, but its battery stopped holding a charge and efforts to replace it were unsuccessful, Hall said.
“We’re really grateful for the donation from the Friends,” he said, adding the bike has already been fitted with emergency lights, a siren, and a gear bag for storing a first-aid kits and citation booklet.
The bike will also be used as a tool to educate motorists on how to respect cyclists while using public roadways, and to demonstrate how e-bikes are a great way to get around, as they are a growing mode of transportation for many people, Hall said.
The Friends said providing the department the e-bike, a Gazelle Eclipse, aligns with its mission of promoting healthy and active lifestyles, creating a sense of community, and providing equitable access to safe, viable, and active alternative transportation routes in the city, according to a news release about the donation.
“We are so happy to see more families and people engaged in outdoor recreation on the trails; we want to make sure everyone knows some simple rules, so we all have positive experiences,” said Carmel Steger, the chair of the Friends, in a statement.
She said the Friends are constantly communicating with the Police Department about safety concerns along the trail, such as when people don’t follow the printed signs and public messages about etiquette while riding or boarding.
With the rail trail now extending from the Southwick line, through downtown Westfield via the newly constructed Central Section, to the Westfield River Esplanade, it’s being used by many new riders, walkers, and rollers, representing many people from a diverse cross-section of the city, according to the Friends.
This increased activity on the Columbia Greenway and throughout Westfield requires supervision and education on how to use trails and paths safely, like calling out audibly when passing, staying to the right, and not congregating in the middle of a path. These rules are not widely understood or practiced by all users, according to the Friends’ statement.
In addition to the Columbia Greenway, Westfield has constructed several other shared use paths throughout the city, including along Court Street and Western Avenue to Westfield State University, and will embark this year on the Westfield River Levee project that will build shared use paths between Franklin Avenue and Meadow Street, according to the Friends.