New parents won't take action against trooper

A man cited for trying to use a breakdown lane to get to the hospital when his wife was in labor appealed his $100 traffic ticket yesterday, but the couple does not intend to file a complaint against the trooper who issued it.

"I think that we've complained and they heard it," Jennifer Davis, the new mother, said.

The Davises were flooded with calls and interview requests yesterday after a story appeared in the Globe detailing their encounter with the officer on their way from their Dracut home to Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge on Nov. 18.

Jennifer Davis said her contractions were about three minutes apart and rush-hour traffic was stuck on Route 2 near Alewife Station.

According to the Davises, John Davis drove in the breakdown lane and stopped to ask a trooper whether they could take the lane to the next exit. He not only refused, they said, but made them wait on the roadside while he finished writing someone else's ticket. He then returned to their car and told them they would be getting a citation.

Jennifer Davis said he also wanted to see her pregnant belly.

David Procopio, State Police spokesman, said the trooper was not expected to be disciplined because he was making a judgment call in enforcing the law that prohibits driving in the breakdown lanes on Route 2; breakdown lanes are open to traffic only on some highways during rush hour.

Five hours after the Route 2 incident, the couple's daughter was born at the hospital.

State Police are internally discussing the trooper's handling of the situation, but officials would not launch a formal review unless the couple filed a complaint, said Procopio.