Traffic officers from law enforcement agencies all over Santa Clara County wrote more than 130 citations to Morgan Hill motorists in a four-hour period the morning of April 18.
<
The special enforcement operation was coordinated among police departments in several cities of Santa Clara County. Morgan Hill has participated in such operations previously, but this one was the first since the city adopted the “Vision Zero” traffic policy, which is aimed at reducing traffic injuries and fatalities, MHPD Sgt. Troy Hoefling said.
<
A total of 33 officers on motorcycles blanketed problematic traffic areas in Morgan Hill during the April 18 morning commute, according to Hoefling.
<
“We want (motorists) to be aware, and drive as if there were that many traffic officers in town all the time,” Hoefling said.
<
Motorists could scarcely cross Monterey Road, traverse the city’s downtown or pass by certain schools without being observed by a waiting traffic officer, equipped with a handheld radar device to measure speeds.
<
The operation also deployed volunteers to act as pedestrians who walked back and forth at two Morgan Hill crosswalks, with motorcycle officers stationed nearby to nab any drivers who illegally failed to yield to the walkers. One of these crosswalks was in front of Nordstrom Elementary School on East Dunne Avenue, and the other was at Fifth Street and Monterey Road in downtown Morgan Hill.
<
A total of 132 motorists were ticketed for various vehicle code violations throughout town during the four-hour operation, Hoefling said. Common violations included speeding, talking on a cell phone while driving, failure to stop at a stop sign, failure to stop for a school bus stop sign and failing to yield for pedestrians.
<
The officers also issued about 30 warnings to motorists suspected of similar violations, Hoefling said.
<
Traffic officers from Morgan Hill, Campbell, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain View, Milpitas, San Jose, Santa Clara and Los Altos participated in the local April 18 enforcement effort.
<
Hoefling also noted that the month of April is known as Distracted Driving Month, when MHPD and other law enforcement agencies are putting forth extra efforts to enforce and educate motorists about the dangers of distracted driving.
<
Multi-agency enforcement efforts such as the April 18 operation in Morgan Hill will continue monthly throughout the year in different cities in Santa Clara County. In May, a similar four-hour operation will take place on a date to be announced in the City of Santa Clara, in which MHPD officers will participate.
<
And such operations have been organized since last year. On April 26, 2017, officers from various cities issued nearly 200 tickets in Morgan Hill, also during a weekday morning commuting period.
