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Name: Michael Patrick
Location: San Jose, California, United States


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Saturday, September 24

 

Users of Unmarked Crosswalks Are Not Jaywalking

The typical argument against creating marked crosswalks is that they create a false sense of security for their users--that pedestrians assume drivers know they have the right-of-way and then step onto the asphalt without consideration that drivers might not stop.

But I suspect that unmarked crosswalks give car drivers a false sense of entitlement. How many drivers do you think are unaware or disrespecting of the fact that pedestrians, unless instructed otherwise by a clearly visible signage, always have the right-of-way at an intersection of streets? A very large percentage would be a good guess.

The rule is explicitly stated in the California Driver Handbook--you can't call yourself a licensed California driver without having read it. If California communities won't paint crosswalks because their residents are too ignorant to recognize crosswalks' purpose, perhaps the state should start expecting more from its drivers and set stricter standards for license issuance.

The rules, directly from the handbook (and emphasized):

A pedestrian is a person on foot or who uses a conveyance such as roller skates, skateboards, etc., other than a bicycle. A pedestrian can also be a person with a disability in a self-propelled wheelchair, tricycle, or quadricycle.

  • Always stop for any pedestrian crossing at corners or other crosswalks. Do not pass a car from behind that has stopped at a crosswalk. A pedestrian you can’t see may be crossing.
  • Do not drive on a sidewalk, except to cross it at a driveway or alley. When crossing, yield to any pedestrian.
  • Do not stop in a crosswalk. You will place pedestrians in danger.
  • Remember—if a pedestrian makes eye contact with you, he or she is ready to cross the street. Yield to the pedestrian.
  • Pedestrians have the right of way at corners with or without traffic lights, whether or not the crosswalks are marked by painted white lines.
  • Allow older pedestrians more time to cross the street. They are more likely to die as a result of a crash than younger pedestrians.


Comments
Absolutely! I wholeheartedly agree with this. Just this morning, in a school zone, a car was heading for a marked crosswalk at full speed, only slowing down after we started running to avoid getting hit. I'm going to start carrying a pen and pad of paper to write down plate numbers and report them.
 

Often when I cross the street I do it like this: I swing a bag I carry in large arcs. It's moving, might possibly attract their attention.

I was getting off the bus, crossing in a MARKED CROSSWALK (emphasis added) when some idiot, after having zoomed past the two schools, hit mybag while I was in the crosswalk.

Oh, was HE mad at me!!!!!!!! "You hit my car" he yelled.

He did't hit me {lucky for him, not that he would have stopped}. I didn't respond, didn't turn around. And I didn't walk down my own street.

Grrr.

M
 

Often when I cross the street I do it like this: I swing a bag I carry in large arcs. It's moving, might possibly attract their attention.

I was getting off the bus, crossing in a MARKED CROSSWALK (emphasis added) when some idiot, after having zoomed past the two schools, hit mybag while I was in the crosswalk.

Oh, was HE mad at me!!!!!!!! "You hit my car" he yelled.

He did't hit me {lucky for him, not that he would have stopped}. I didn't respond, didn't turn around. And I didn't walk down my own street.

Grrr.

M
 

Resently my boyfriend was wlking with the light at a marked crosswalk and he was hit by a driver who was turning left both of them had the light and now my boyfriend has to pay a ticket can they do that?
 

I love what you said! I'm so tired of these people roll stopping! I usually walk with my two precious girls in my double jogging stroller-I feel so little with all those cars driving around. People need to realize the investment in being thoughtful!
 

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