At first I thought it was the shadow of powerlines making those black marks all over some Pittsfield streets. If you're a casual observer of the outside world when driving or walking, you may not have noticed the tire marks all over certain city streets.

Listeners of "Slater and Marjo In The Morning" may have heard us talking about the noticeable increase in tire marks from "peeling out" or "burning rubber" or "lightin' em up" or "smokin' the tires" ok, I'll stop now, on local roads. 😂

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When I was a kid, I distinctly remember the sound of "skidding" your back bike tire on a newly paved road always sounded louder and higher in pitch. Now, I don't claim to know the reason for this uptick in street maiming, but I'm of the opinion that it's a thing.

These acts, in my opinion, seem intentional and deliberately destructive, sort of like the guy who spray painted those "G"s all over Pittsfield back in 2016. Of course, I could be wrong.

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Has the defacing of some Pittsfield streets, I also see a lot in Lanesborough, caught the attention of Pittsfield Police? I had the chance to speak with traffic sergeant Marc Maddalena on Thursday who said that although the PPD hadn't received a formal complaint, he did notice an increase as of late.

There is no rhyme or reason to which street(s) are affected, but the damage seems to go across both lanes of pavement on most affected roadways.

Streets I've Seen Defaced

Valentine Rd.

Pecks Rd.

Dalton Ave.

Merrill Rd.

East St. and more.

So, is this par for the course for city streets or is this activity increasing? We'll have to see...

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