Framingham Police Says It is Educating Public on New ‘Panhandler’ Law & Department Has Tools To Enforce It

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FRAMINGHAM – Framingham Police said it is educating the public on the new aggressive solicitation ordinance and has the tools to enforce it.

Four weeks ago, on September 20, the 11-member City Council unanimously voted to pass a new ordinance to address “aggressive panhandlers” on 20 roadways in the City of Framingham.

Mayor Charlie Sisitsky signed the “Median Safety and Pedestrian” ordinance on September 22, and it went into effect immediately.

As of last week, no citation had been issued to individuals who are panhandling in the middle of road ways and knocking on drivers’s windows.

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Today, October 12, the Framingham Police spokesperson said “I spoke with the Chief regarding this. The Department has implemented the Median Safety and Pedestrian Regulation. Officers on patrol educated people in advance to promote awareness of the order, and officers have been provided with the information and tools needed to conduct enforcement.”

Police officers were seen yesterday talking to individuals soliciting for money on Route 30.

SOURCE asked yesterday, October 11, how many citations had been issued since the ordinance became law.

“I do not have information on citations issued at this time since this has been newly implemented,” said the police spokesperson today, October 12.

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During Downtown Framingham Inc’s annual Oktoberfest event on Saturday, a couple of individuals were seen walking in and out of traffic and knocking on windows asking for money.

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Under the new ordinance, “a pedestrian shall not enter a public way into the pathway of motor vehicles traveling on and along the roadway or approach within five (5) feet of a motor vehicle or vehicles using a roadway.”

The Framingham Police Department will be in charge of enforcement.

“Any individual who violates the provisions of this ordinance shall be cited and fined.

For the first offense, it is a $50 fine.

For second offense, it is a $100 fine.

For third and subsequent offenses, it is a $300 fine.

The new ordinance makes it “unlawful for any pedestrian to walk along and upon an adjacent roadway whenever a sidewalk, median, crosswalk, center traffic island, or safety island is available for pedestrian use. … Where sidewalks, medians, crosswalks, center traffic islands, or safety islands are unavailable, a pedestrian shall use an unfinished shoulder of a roadway and avoid traveling or entering into the roadway.”

The ordinance is confided to about 20 specific roadways in the City of Framingham.

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Those roadways are:

he roadways include:

• Beaver Street
• Blandin Road
• Cochituate Road
• Concord Street
• Hollis Street
• Howard Street
• Irving Street
• Temple Street
• Union Avenue
• Franklin Street
• Mt. Wayte Avenue
• Park Street
• Winter Street
• Worcester Road (Route 9)
• Speen Street
• Old Conn Path
• Whittier Street
• Shoppers World Drive

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