Letter: Nothing has been done to improve safety at Beverly Depot

March 10, 2023

To the editor:

Seeing a pedestrian get struck by a train is not something that is easily forgotten. Moving on from the memory of watching Dr. Moses Shumow get hit crossing the tracks at the Beverly Depot train station back in October 2019, and then holding his hand while he took his final breaths is probably going to be impossible for me. What should not be impossible is making changes at the Depot to ensure this never happens again.

I told my story to the MBTA, the city of Beverly, and our state elected officials. I asked for common sense safety improvements at the station.

Beyond an impersonal response from one elected official, I received no answer from those I contacted, including the MBTA. The crossings at the station today remain as they were in 2019.

Why has nothing been done to improve safety and capacity at the Beverly Depot even as lots of new apartments have been built and advertised for their desirable proximity to this station?

If Beverly is going to consider any future development in the that will attract new residents and commuters, it must put public safety first and tell the MBTA that smart growth can and must be accomplished alongside safe growth.

Dr. Shumow’s accident was a completely avoidable tragedy that is guaranteed to happen again if no action is taken. Beverly and the MBTA have the opportunity to keep its commuters safe — we should demand that they do so.

Nick White

Beverly

Letter: Nothing has been done to improve safety at Beverly Depot. Salem News. (2023, March 10). Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.salemnews.com/opinion/letter-nothing-has-been-done-to-improve-safety-at-beverly-depot/article_d5d874c8-bebb-11ed-a7eb-a3555ef5798a.html