Why is There a Traffic Counter on Monument Street?

A traffic counter has been set up on Monument Street to help identify the best time to conduct traffic enforcement on the street.

Monument Street is a well traveled road that connects Cherry Street to Route 1A and, of course, is home to the .

“It gives us quite a bit of info - number of vehicles, speed of vehicles, etc.” said Interim Police Chief Thomas Perkins.

He said Monument Street homeowners “were among the first residents since I took over.”

Perkins said police can not be on any street in Wenham around-the clock, “but this device can.”

The counter has been used many times over the years and is owned by the town. It helped, for example, compile traffic data before the traffic lights were installed in West Wenham at the intersection of Topsfield Road and Cherry and Maple streets.

“It gives us great intelligence, like when the peak times are that vehicles are speeding and allows us to manage our resources more efficiently,” Perkins said.

The counter is actually nearing the end of its useful life and Perkins said he is on the lookout for a grant that would help buy a new one.