The Hailey Police Department is currently struggling to keep up with an alarming amount of traffic issues occurring in the area. Hailey residents have also taken notice of these issues happening in their city, and have begun to be vocal about their frustrations.
“We have had numerous complaints to our city hall and to our police department daily,” said Hailey Police Chief Steven England.
The roads are heavily congested and many of the drivers are not following traffic laws. England said he comes to work every Monday to see a stack of tickets on his desk.
This substantial traffic increase was really starting to get attention when things began to open back up, since being closed due to the pandemic.
“They just got too many people coming in from out of state,” said Hailey resident Ray Adams. “They are here for a short time and that is it.”
The Hailey Police Command staff are currently analyzing what they can do to be more effective and are working with city departments, but they say solving this issue starts with the driver.
“We can only perform enforcement so much, and in certain spots at one time,” said England. “We can’t be everywhere at once.”
He said wear your seat belt, leave more time to get to your destination and drive the posted speed limit.
“People just take the onus on themselves and improve their driving behavior and help keep the area safe for everybody," said England.
