Residents press council on speeding, parking and e‑bike safety as police enforcement limits surface

Residents at Tuesday’s Wilkes‑Barre City Council meeting urged action on speeding, illegal parking and unsafe e‑bike and vehicle behavior in neighborhood streets, and council members discussed enforcement limits and technology options.

Several residents from Saint Clair, Mead and nearby streets described repeated high‑speed driving in 25 mph zones, drivers running stop signs and double‑parking that blocks traffic. “They do 50 miles an hour — it’s supposed to be 25,” said Anthony Bonavina of 89 Saint Clair Street, who told the council he feared for children playing in the street. Jim Burton and other commenters described drivers coming through stop signs at high speed near school zones.

Speakers and some council members urged immediate remedies such as temporary stop signs with flashing lights to test whether traffic calming helps. Council members cautioned that traffic controls must follow state and PennDOT rules; the council’s traffic committee handles stop‑sign placements and PennDOT requires engineering justification for them.

A speaker who identified himself as a former police officer said municipal enforcement faces a legal limit: Pennsylvania state law currently does not permit municipal police to use radar to issue speeding citations. “Pennsylvania municipal police cannot legally use radar to write citations,” he said, adding that state police can use radar but municipal departments cannot. Council members urged residents to raise the issue with state legislators if expanded enforcement tools are desired.

Council members also discussed technology investments. Mayor George Brown said administrators are evaluating systems similar to the camera and gunshot‑detection installations used in Hazleton, and the police chief has been involved in the review. “We are looking at installing cameras in certain areas,” the mayor said, adding that new camera systems can help locate a noise source within seconds and distinguish fireworks from gunshots.

Residents also raised related quality‑of‑life complaints — trash and recycling left in windblown bags, broken sidewalks near recently planted street trees and double‑parking near businesses — asking for better enforcement and public education. Council members suggested putting temporary traffic measures on the next meeting agenda and pursuing route and signage reviews via the traffic committee.

No formal council action was recorded on traffic policy during the meeting; council members directed staff to put temporary stop‑sign testing and traffic‑committee items on future agendas and to continue evaluating camera systems with police input.