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Though it is District law that cars must stop for pedestrians in every crosswalk, let's be honest -- very few actually do so. When I choose to walk to work, I'm often left to navigate the harrowing crosswalk at Connecticut Avenue and Wyoming Avenue NW, where even a sign reminding drivers of their responsibility to stop is regularly (and at high-speed) ignored.
Council member Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) is hoping to change that. Cheh's office has announced that tomorrow she will introduce legislation that would mandate a ten-fold increase in fines for failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. The legislation would also include installing better signage at District crosswalks stating that pedestrians have the right of way and listing the potential fine, which would be $500.
This is a good initiative to be sure, as the number of pedestrian deaths this year has already reached 25, which is up from 17 total last year. But as with other such laws -- like the ban on cell phone use in cars -- it will depend on effective police enforcement. More importantly, it will require additional traffic-calming measures, especially on busy roads with crosswalks. As one ANC Commissioner in Ward 1 once remarked to me, "You are asking that drivers engage in a quantum shift in their attitudes towards pedestrians and bicyclists...no small task."
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geez, it's like the Commisioner is saying - this is too much work, let's just not even try.
I'm skeptical, considering I see a lot of cops driving past those signs when I'm trying to cross the street
Please, please get this fine increase passed. And then send out patrol cops to sit at crosswalks and just rake in the money. This "rule of the road" is one that is so much more important than just about everything else that the police actually enforce on the roads.
I have no idea where drivers thought they have the right of way over pedestrians at a crosswalk? Where did that come from? Driving 101?
Triple fines for the a-holes that honk at the pedestrian as they speed by.
--bitter walker
As long as they back up this new law with a publicity campaign, I'm for it. As someone who spends as much time on foot in DC as I do in my car, I am very cognizant of the problem and always stop when driving. Of course usually someone just whizzes around me.
The problem is people don't really think about the law. If they had an ongoing PR campaign similar to that which is used to education about the seatbelt law, I think we could see real change. But just raising fines won't do a thing, except generate money. Simply increasing enforcement doesn't help either. The cops aren't everywhere. Even if they get aggressive, the vast majority of drivers will never get pulled over for breaking this law and never think any more about it than they do now. You need education and publicity.
I consider dodging cars at the intersection of 10th and O NW as my exercise for the day, so the new fines better be put towards my gastric bypass...
As much as I'd like to see increased fines and enforcement for those who ignore pedestrians in the CROSSWALK, I'd also like to see stricter ticketing (and higher fines) for JAYWALKERS, too.
When I drive in the District, I feel like I'm in a video game having to dodge pedestrians crossing mid-block, pedestrians crossing against the signal, pedestrians using the street as a sidewalk, etc....
i'm a bit confused. are you saying that pedestrians have the right of way to cross at any direction at any time, even when their "walk/don't walk" sign is giving them the big red hand - i.e. the light in their (the pedestrian's) direction is red? that sounds like mass chaos to me...?
There are a couple of spots up in that remote wasteland known as Rockville that have these cool blinking LED crosswalks. You don't even have to do anything except cross at the crosswalk and they light up. I know there are 2 drawbacks there, one being the technology of LED's may be far too advanced for our DOT and the other that the technology of crosswalks may be too far advanced for our pedestrians.
Just sayin.
@hungeegirl: At uncontrolled crosswalks, of course. If there's a "don't walk" sign, you don't walk.
DC needs more of those electrified grid crosswalks with the automatic tire spikes like they have in Singapore. Walk against the signal, get 50,000 volts; run a light, you need two new tires. People in Singapore don't complain. Granted, they're all in jail being beaten with rattan canes, but they're pretty cheerful about it. And such a clean town, too, since their "bottle bill" involves "sanitation workers" shoving empty bottles up litterers' rear ends.
First, I walk as much as I drive in the city so I try to think about both sides. That said, when driving, nothing drives me crazier than the jaywalkers (most notably on my home turf in columbia heights/petworth) and people who putz across the crosswalk. I'm sorry, but some intersections are impossible in this city and they're made worse by schmucks strolling across the street. When I cross, I cross fast because I feel for the driver at whatever crappy intersection it is.
While this is a good move, the response by drivers may be minimal, as with the mobile phone law.
There are several crossing walks with heavy foot traffic and no guidance (i.e., stop lights, walk sings). Anything to highlight safety with respect to pedestrians is a step in the right direction.
What works in other cities?
I believe the city removed the paint/occasional crosswalk sign at the noted and dangerous intersection of connecticut and wyoming NW. Additionally, I agree that something should be done to improve pedestrian safety at such intersections, however the issue can be countered with the mass amounts of jaywalkers (downtown...columbia heights, wherever).
Guest 21, I agree! I walk or bike to work but drive a fair amount too.
Yielding to pedestrians at all times is how it should be but some pedestrians seem to not only jaywalk but street loiter as well.
When will the powers-that-be in this town start looking out for people like me: serial jaywalkers? Crosswalks are for little girls and old ladies.
when they put those pedestrian signs in at several crosswalks in Silver Spring, it didnt take very long until many of them were mangled and bent... either drivers didn't see them, or they just didn't care and ran them over. sends a definite signal to the walker that you still have to look out for yourself.
i like the cities that have hand-held flags on both sides of the crosswalk for peds to pick up and wave in front of cars as they walk across... and then deposit on the other side. if nothing else it makes the driver take a second look to make sure you aren't a crazy person before they run you over.
Increase fines for cars that fail to yield right of way. But also jack up the $5 jaywalking fee. And jack up - and enforce - the fees for bicyclists who ignore traffic rules.
And do a big public education campaign to let people know what the rules are. For instance, in a 4 lane street like Wisconsin and Idaho (site of last week's p.r. stunt by the Mayor, Cheh and MPD where they ticketed motorists who failed to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk), what exactly is the rule on stopping? For instance, if I am in the far right lane, and I see someone step into the crosswalk on the far left lane, do I have to stop and wait for the person to cross the entire length of the crosswalk? Or do I stop as the person gets closer to the lane of traffic that I am traveling in? If it's the former, then holy crap is that going to be a recipe for traffic gridlock. If it's the latter, then the pedestrian is playing Frogger with the traffic and hoping that each lane of traffic will stop as he/she gets closer to it.
Which brings me to my latest rant: there are some crosswalks that have no signaling lights and are just too damned dangerous to exist in their current state. Either install a light that is activated ONLY when a pedestrian is trying to cross or get rid of the damned crosswalk and ticket people for jaywalking. I am reminded again of that same crosswalk on Wisconsin and Idaho. There is no light signal. There is only the painted crosswalk and four lanes of traffic. That's a recipe for disaster and led directly to the recent death of a pedestrian (killed, ironically enough, by an MPD officer who failed to yield and, if listserv reports are accurate, drove AROUND a car that had stopped to yield to the crossing pedestrian).
Basically, we need more simple common sense. Cars need to slow down for pedestrians in crosswalks. Pedestrians need to not just march into the middle of the street and expect their municipal regulation rights will be respected by cars going 30-50 miles per hour. The city needs to either educate its residents and commuters as to the rules or use this as a new cash cow revenue raiser; it can't have it both ways. And MPD has to actually enforce the rules, not just during ticket quota time, but all the time - and even against their own officers who are regularly seen violating all sorts of traffic rules.
One of the first things I learned as a kid was to look both ways before crossing the street. It appears that lately this little nugget of common sense is missing from the greater population. Cars drive on the streets. People use sidewalks. Sometimes our paths cross and we have to share. No matter what the law is, taking a few seconds to see what's coming your way before stepping out in the street will help make sure you make it to the other side in one piece.
And, drivers: slow the fuck down.
Maybe we're not driving fast...maybe you're just moving in slow motion
When will the powers-that-be in this town start looking out for people like me: serial jaywalkers? Crosswalks are for little girls and old ladies.
A friend of mine said the police were ticketing a lot of jaywalkers in Georgetown the other night. So there you go.
Not sure what is so difficult about reading the Driver's Manual. Pedestrians in crosswalks *marked or unmarked* always have the right of way unless they're crossing against the light. The rules are pretty clearly laid out in the Manual.
Now, to keep us from getting killed, I agree we need higher fine, better enforcement, more publicity about the rules - commercials, billboards, fliers at the DMV, radio advertising, etc. We could also put in more Crosswalk signals like the "zebra crossings" in the UK that have flashing yellow lights on either side of the road. In LA, in one of the Hasidic communities, they had a flashing light that would signal that pedestrians wanted to cross at a particularly busy intersection - they had to hit a button on either side of the walk to set of the lights
I also think cab drivers and bus drivers - basically anyone whose JOB requires them to drive - should have their licenses suspended for breaking this law. They're usually the worst and repeat offenders.
Didn't we learn anything from VA? Excessive fines for (relatively) minor infractions don't work.
One of my problems is that many of these crosswalks are in high-density pedestrian areas, so when you're approaching, you can't tell if people are just hanging out, or about to stroll into the roadway. Pedestrians need to be a bit more aware that drivers are not mind readers, and they don't necessarily know that you're about to cross into the street without pausing or looking both ways. Make it obvious you're waiting to cross, and reasonable people will stop.
Wonderwazz...they tried the flag thing on Connecticut Ave. in Chevy Chase...it worked so-so for a while and then people kept stealing the flags....
Arlington County has those crosswalks that light up when a pedestrian steps into them too....it's been suggested to DDOT at several ANC meetings to not too much enthusiasm.
I would like to see speed cameras at uncontrolled crosswalks - drivers would eventually learn to slow down, hopefully increasing responsiveness to pedestrians attempting to cross, and provide some revenue to the city.
BTW, the crosswalk at Connecticut and Wyoming NW is still there. It was temporarily removed due to the recent repaving of the street.
What I find most upsetting is the drivers downtown who end up stopping in the middle of the crosswalk or (much much worse) end up getting stuck in the middle of the intersection when the light changes. I see this happen on my way to work EVERY DAY.
I know that in NYC this is called "blocking the box" and there is a hefty fine to deter drivers from entering the intersection when there's no space for them on the other side. Is that not the case in DC??
I used to be VERY good about stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks until I got rammed from behind by someone who didn't like the idea. [And no, I didn't 'slam' my brakes on]. Now I'll only do it if I can tell the driver behind me is paying attention/slowing. And if I'm on a motorcycle - no way. That's just asking to be struck.
It's a fact that pedestrians ALWAYS have the right-of-way whether or not they are in a crosswalk.
But I certainly don't want my tombstone to read: At least she had the right-of-way.
It's also a fact that there are crazy drivers, suicidal pedestrians and kamikaze bicyclists.
As well meaning as the new legislation is, it won't change people's attitudes (e.g., driving while holding a cell phone).
I was on 8th St right by Eastern Market where there is a very well marked and well lit crosswalk, stop sign and giant neon green pedestrian crossing sign. I was stopped, waiting for someone to walk across the street and was honked at by none other than a Metro bus driver. What else can you ask of people except to slow down and pay attention and hope some jerk doesn't honk at you or hit your car b/c you're following the law.
Raise the penalty for drivers; raise it for jaywalkers, get more Level I MPD Reserves out issuing civil Notices of Infraction (NOIs) for these violations and call me when it's over.
And we also need to remedy another pesky pedestrian problem.
just this week I got those yellow crosswalk signs installed at an intersection near my house. I'm so excited. it was so much easier to cross the street this morning.
Come on, Liz. "Kamakaze bicyclist" is redundant: that's why they don't usually give us lanes, and when they do, our lanes tend to end to great theatrical effect, usually just as the road gets narrow and dangerous, and almost always on a downhill (both ways, of course).
E.g., Columbia Ave., just south of 18th st; 14th st. heading north past Columbia Heights; or the fun way Mass Ave south of Dupont does interesting and creative things. You'll see what I mean
They had the flags in Chevy Chase DC, but were removed in one of the intersections because of the 65% compliance rate. In its place is a pilot light which flashes yellow for Conn Ave and red for the side street.
When a pedestrian pushes the button all of the lights go red. As far as I can tell, it has a 100% success rate where pedestrian safety is concerned. The local ANC is trying to make it a regular light because drivers are complaining they cannot get onto Conn Ave.
This is the same ANC that requested a pedestrian signal last year, which is what DDOT installed, LOL at DDOT giving these jokers "great weight" after what they unleashed on Military Road.
Controlled chaos is a good thing because it limits speeding. I hope they put these lights in all over the city. That with the stiffer fines proposed by Mary Cheh are a step in the right direction.
I know that in NYC this is called "blocking the box" and there is a hefty fine to deter drivers from entering the intersection when there's no space for them on the other side. Is that not the case in DC??
DC does have a "don't block the box" rule. I'm not at work so I can't look this up to confirm it, but IRRC violations carry a penalty of up to $50 (ooo...) and two points on your license. That's when anyone bothers to enforce it, anyway. I've never seen anyone get a ticket for blocking the box, although I suppose it's possible that some people are caught by red light cameras.
I admit it, I jaywalk. I claim tu quoque; I'll take drivers' criticisms of jaywalkers seriously when drivers observe the rights of pedestrians, or at least enough of them do so that I'm no longer more sinned against than sinning. I expect this means I'll be jaywalking until the heat death of the universe.
I mean, seriously, I saw a guy in a SUV today downtown go into paroxysms of horn-based rage because those darn pedestrians were daring to claim right-of-way on the sidewalk. I almost crossed the street so I could walk in front of him too.
That said, I am a responsible jaywalker. I don't walk blindly into traffic, and while I do assume drivers see me, I also assume they're actively trying to kill me (an assumption I encourage all pedestrians to adopt at all times, whether they jaywalk or not). When I cross the street I look rather like Jackie Chan doing an impression of an early mammal scurrying away from the dinosaurs.
I also assume they're actively trying to kill me (an assumption I encourage all pedestrians to adopt at all times, whether they jaywalk or not).
This goes double for drivers. I always drive on the assumption that every driver in the intersection is either too distracted by their phones/GPS/fellatio to see the stop light, and the pedestrians haven't taken their antipsychotic meds and are actually listening to Elvis/Allah/Boris Badanoff telling them to walk into oncoming traffic.
The first step to pedestrian and driver safety is a tacit admission that the universe hates you and is actively trying to kill you at all times. Deviate from this belief system at your peril.