David Zeit
2003-10-24 06:44:35 UTC
x-no-archive: yes
http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=69431
News Thursday, October 23, 2003
E-mail this story Print this story Submit a letter to the editor
Stepping into trouble on Salems streets
LORI CAIN / Statesman Journal
Vehicles pass through the intersection of Chemeketa and High streets NE
as pedestrians walk across the street.
Pedestrians increasingly are being hit by vehicles.
JODY LAWRENCE-TURNER
Statesman Journal
October 19, 2003
Salem resident Beth Gregg learned the hard way about the importance of
yielding to pedestrians.
She hit a neighbor in a downtown crosswalk who also happens to be the
citys police chief.
Gregg received a citation for $273, but perhaps more importantly, she
learned a lifelong lesson slow down.
Walt Myers, Salem police chief, was understanding about the incident.
What happened to me and that lady driver could happen to anybody, he
said. But as we get more and more crowded on the roadways, and our
schedules get busier and busier, its easy to forget the importance of a
human life, and in the twinkling of an eye one can be lost.
Pedestrian-versus-vehicle incidents have increased since 1999 despite
educational efforts and police stings at crosswalks.
In 2002, four pedestrians were killed on Salem streets and police issued
176 citations citywide to drivers for failure to yield to pedestrians.
That is up from 41 citations in 2001.
Police Lt. Dan Cary attributed the increase in citations to more bike
patrols in the downtown area.
Scott Kofoid of the Salem Police Department said that increased traffic
congestion is the leading cause of pedestrian-vehicle accidents.
Of the 226 crashes reported this year through Sept. 30, 52 involved
pedestrians. One pedestrian was killed.
The most common traffic offense committed in the downtown area probably
is people running red lights, Cary said, but that also puts pedestrians
at risk.
Salem police said the top 10 intersections for crashes in the city are
in some of the most congested areas of town, many of them near malls.
People are paying attention to the light, Kofoid said, not the people
in the crosswalk.
No. 7 on the list Commercial and Marion streets NE is downtown near
Salem Center Mall and Rite Aid.
Myers was crossing at the northeast corner of Trade and High streets SE
after the walk sign lit up.
Another car narrowly missed him before Gregg hit him. He suffered only
bumps and bruises and still was recovering last week.
Aside from congestion, distractions in vehicles are another factor that
police think causes the accidents.
There are too many distractions in vehicles, like cell phones and
radios, Kofoid said. They have everything but a kitchen sink in cars
these days.
Downtown employee Bob Shike said he has been more careful crossing the
street since a co-worker was hit.
People wont even stop for you even when you are halfway through the
crosswalk, said Shike, who has worked downtown for 18 years. I stepped
off a curb once and a car zoomed right in front of me.
Tiffany Myers, a downtown employee for three years, said she keeps an
eye on the Cherriots buses because they cant always see people crossing
the street.
But Im pretty aggressive, she said. I stare right at the drivers
when they are trying to turn while I am crossing the street.
The fine for failing to yield to pedestrians increased from $175 to to
$237 on Sept. 1.
If a driver hits a pedestrian, the fine is $273. If the violation
happens in a school zone when the warning lights are on, the fine goes
up to $349, a fixed amount that cant be reduced.
The number of pedestrian-versus-vehicle fatal accidents in Portland
during recent years also had state lawmakers taking a closer look at the
situation during the past Legislative session.
On Jan. 1, a new law known as stop and stay stopped, goes into effect.
If a driver crosses the white line of a crosswalk before the pedestrian
is out of it and on the opposite curb, it is considered an offense.
David House, a spokesman for the state Driver and Motor Vehicle
Services, said Oregons pedestrians are luckier than those in other
states.
A lot of states dont give the pedestrian the right-of-way like we do
in Oregon, House said.
People taking the state drivers license test need to know the law about
yielding to pedestrians, but there isnt a question about it on every
exam. The questions that test takers answer are selected randomly.
Salems police chief said he thinks that the law is only part of what it
takes to keep pedestrians safe.
It seems to me that one of the most of important things we can do as
human beings in our community, to increase our sense of community, is to
show great curtesy and respect to each other, Myers said. That means
by being very careful in the way we drive.
Jody Lawrence-Turner can be reached at (503) 399-6721.
Subscribe now!
Yielding to pedestrians
According to the Oregon Drivers Manual, drivers must yield to
pedestrians when:
A pedestrian is crossing with a green light or walk signal or when the
pedestrian has not cleared the crosswalk. You must yield to pedestrians
as soon as they step off the curb.
In a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection with no
traffic-control devices when the pedestrian is on your half of the road
or so close to your half of the road that he or she is in a position of
danger.
Crossing a sidewalk, such as when entering or leaving an alley, driveway
or private road.
Making a left or right turn at any intersection, as soon as pedestrians
step off the curb.
At a school crossing where there is a traffic patrol. Stop and yield if
a traffic patrol member signals you to do so.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"On Jan. 1, a new law known as stop and stay stopped, goes into
effect. If a driver crosses the white line of a crosswalk before the
pedestrian is out of it and on the opposite curb, it is considered an
offense."
SO............if you are headed east and want to turn right and a
pedestrian on the north side steps off the curb we will have to wait for
them to cross 2 lanes plus a center turn lane and 2 more traffic lanes
before we can turn right. OR........if we want to turn right and a
pedestrian steps off the curb in front of us we must wait until they
have crossed all 5 lanes and stepped on the curb before we can turn
right. Can you say............revenue enhancement?
Sure, we all want pedestrians to be safe. Even drivers become
pedestrians once we park. But isn't this going too far?
http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=69431
News Thursday, October 23, 2003
E-mail this story Print this story Submit a letter to the editor
Stepping into trouble on Salems streets
LORI CAIN / Statesman Journal
Vehicles pass through the intersection of Chemeketa and High streets NE
as pedestrians walk across the street.
Pedestrians increasingly are being hit by vehicles.
JODY LAWRENCE-TURNER
Statesman Journal
October 19, 2003
Salem resident Beth Gregg learned the hard way about the importance of
yielding to pedestrians.
She hit a neighbor in a downtown crosswalk who also happens to be the
citys police chief.
Gregg received a citation for $273, but perhaps more importantly, she
learned a lifelong lesson slow down.
Walt Myers, Salem police chief, was understanding about the incident.
What happened to me and that lady driver could happen to anybody, he
said. But as we get more and more crowded on the roadways, and our
schedules get busier and busier, its easy to forget the importance of a
human life, and in the twinkling of an eye one can be lost.
Pedestrian-versus-vehicle incidents have increased since 1999 despite
educational efforts and police stings at crosswalks.
In 2002, four pedestrians were killed on Salem streets and police issued
176 citations citywide to drivers for failure to yield to pedestrians.
That is up from 41 citations in 2001.
Police Lt. Dan Cary attributed the increase in citations to more bike
patrols in the downtown area.
Scott Kofoid of the Salem Police Department said that increased traffic
congestion is the leading cause of pedestrian-vehicle accidents.
Of the 226 crashes reported this year through Sept. 30, 52 involved
pedestrians. One pedestrian was killed.
The most common traffic offense committed in the downtown area probably
is people running red lights, Cary said, but that also puts pedestrians
at risk.
Salem police said the top 10 intersections for crashes in the city are
in some of the most congested areas of town, many of them near malls.
People are paying attention to the light, Kofoid said, not the people
in the crosswalk.
No. 7 on the list Commercial and Marion streets NE is downtown near
Salem Center Mall and Rite Aid.
Myers was crossing at the northeast corner of Trade and High streets SE
after the walk sign lit up.
Another car narrowly missed him before Gregg hit him. He suffered only
bumps and bruises and still was recovering last week.
Aside from congestion, distractions in vehicles are another factor that
police think causes the accidents.
There are too many distractions in vehicles, like cell phones and
radios, Kofoid said. They have everything but a kitchen sink in cars
these days.
Downtown employee Bob Shike said he has been more careful crossing the
street since a co-worker was hit.
People wont even stop for you even when you are halfway through the
crosswalk, said Shike, who has worked downtown for 18 years. I stepped
off a curb once and a car zoomed right in front of me.
Tiffany Myers, a downtown employee for three years, said she keeps an
eye on the Cherriots buses because they cant always see people crossing
the street.
But Im pretty aggressive, she said. I stare right at the drivers
when they are trying to turn while I am crossing the street.
The fine for failing to yield to pedestrians increased from $175 to to
$237 on Sept. 1.
If a driver hits a pedestrian, the fine is $273. If the violation
happens in a school zone when the warning lights are on, the fine goes
up to $349, a fixed amount that cant be reduced.
The number of pedestrian-versus-vehicle fatal accidents in Portland
during recent years also had state lawmakers taking a closer look at the
situation during the past Legislative session.
On Jan. 1, a new law known as stop and stay stopped, goes into effect.
If a driver crosses the white line of a crosswalk before the pedestrian
is out of it and on the opposite curb, it is considered an offense.
David House, a spokesman for the state Driver and Motor Vehicle
Services, said Oregons pedestrians are luckier than those in other
states.
A lot of states dont give the pedestrian the right-of-way like we do
in Oregon, House said.
People taking the state drivers license test need to know the law about
yielding to pedestrians, but there isnt a question about it on every
exam. The questions that test takers answer are selected randomly.
Salems police chief said he thinks that the law is only part of what it
takes to keep pedestrians safe.
It seems to me that one of the most of important things we can do as
human beings in our community, to increase our sense of community, is to
show great curtesy and respect to each other, Myers said. That means
by being very careful in the way we drive.
Jody Lawrence-Turner can be reached at (503) 399-6721.
Subscribe now!
Yielding to pedestrians
According to the Oregon Drivers Manual, drivers must yield to
pedestrians when:
A pedestrian is crossing with a green light or walk signal or when the
pedestrian has not cleared the crosswalk. You must yield to pedestrians
as soon as they step off the curb.
In a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection with no
traffic-control devices when the pedestrian is on your half of the road
or so close to your half of the road that he or she is in a position of
danger.
Crossing a sidewalk, such as when entering or leaving an alley, driveway
or private road.
Making a left or right turn at any intersection, as soon as pedestrians
step off the curb.
At a school crossing where there is a traffic patrol. Stop and yield if
a traffic patrol member signals you to do so.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"On Jan. 1, a new law known as stop and stay stopped, goes into
effect. If a driver crosses the white line of a crosswalk before the
pedestrian is out of it and on the opposite curb, it is considered an
offense."
SO............if you are headed east and want to turn right and a
pedestrian on the north side steps off the curb we will have to wait for
them to cross 2 lanes plus a center turn lane and 2 more traffic lanes
before we can turn right. OR........if we want to turn right and a
pedestrian steps off the curb in front of us we must wait until they
have crossed all 5 lanes and stepped on the curb before we can turn
right. Can you say............revenue enhancement?
Sure, we all want pedestrians to be safe. Even drivers become
pedestrians once we park. But isn't this going too far?