Push For Crosswalk Buttons (College Park: design, cars, friendly)

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Very true. Pedestrians don't have the right of way to aimless wander about in all directions, especially while engaged with their cell phones or not paying attention.

There really needs to be some sort of coordinated campaign around town to educate both drivers and pedestrians on how to deal with each other. And start ticketing the sorry asses of people who willfully disobey!

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

There really needs to be some sort of coordinated campaign around town to educate both drivers and pedestrians on how to deal with each other. And start ticketing the sorry asses of people who willfully disobey!

Yep.

PEDS does some good work in terms of education and their presentation should be given several times in every school and workplace.

Walk Smart. Drive Smart. - PEDS

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Say you're driving at 4 mph, which is pretty slow. Given standard reaction times, if some bonehead comes out of nowhere it's still going to take you 15 feet to stop. If said bonehead is moving toward you, the distance may be 20 feet.

That's why it behooves pedestrians to exercise caution as well. Pedestrians know where the cars will moving and they also know that if they don't pay attention and/or walk unpredictably there is little a driver can do.

I agree that some pedestrians could stand to be a lot more aware in parking lots. For the time that I walk to and from my car, I am a pedestrian too. I am always on the look out for whose just started their car, who may not be able to see me, and who doesn't look like they are going to stop even if I am at the crosswalk and have the right of way.

It baffles me how some treat the entire lot like a sidewalk - never breaking their stride from beginning to end. They must have a lot more faith in drivers than I do. That's why I back out like I'm 80 years old now. Too many people will walk behind mid-backout just swinging their arms like they are not worried about getting hit.

[ElleKaye]

OP, I understand your frustration. I don't have that much experience with crosswalk buttons, but I have rarely felt like my pressing them made a difference. It just feels like a busy activity for me to engage in while I wait.

The new ones that the place in the middle of a street and not at intersections do work well though.

[magnetar]

I wonder if any of the folks complaining about drivers and pedestrians above ever considered that maybe the pedestrians who break traffic laws and the drivers who break traffic laws might be the same people? Maybe most people drive sometimes, and walk sometimes? Maybe there aren't two entirely unique groups of people, drivers vs. walkers, locked in an epic battle to inconvenience/harm one another at every turn?

Folks everywhere could stand to use a little more common sense and exercise a bit more patience, whatever their modality of transport.

[demonta4]

I used to walk in Forest Park and the only thing those buttons did was give me right of way to cross, which was stupid because it didn't change the timer to allow me ample time to cross a five lane Jonesboro Rd. I also wasn't going to wait a full light cycle when the light was red just because I don't have the symbol to walk.

[ajjam]

Is it illegal to cross a street with the "don't walk" signal up?? I think it funny that even if NO cars are coming people will stand at the crosswalk until the "walk" signal comes on. Me if no car is coming I'm going to cross the street!

[MattCW]

Originally Posted by ajjam

Is it illegal to cross a street with the "don't walk" signal up?? I think it funny that even if NO cars are coming people will stand at the crosswalk until the "walk" signal comes on. Me if no car is coming I'm going to cross the street!

40-6-90:

(a) A pedestrian shall obey the instructions of any official traffic-control device specifically applicable to him, unless otherwise directed by a police officer.

It looks like if there's a pedestrian signal, the pedestrian must obey it. I agree though that if you just missed the cycle, and the pedestrian would otherwise have a walk signal, it's ridiculous to make them wait a full cycle.

Usual disclaimers, I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice, etc.

[netdragon]

Originally Posted by 2Easy

All US cities historically had only timed signals.

All, as in not Atlanta, not Hartford, not Albany? Just 3 cities I can think of that ditched push-button for timed. There's many more. Also happened in some of the burbs of metro ATL, like Marietta.

Maybe once upon a time there were timed signals then a flirt with pushbuttons, but the movement is towards timed signals right now...

HAWK crossings are one exception. They use push-buttons, because they are designed for very intermittent pedestrian crossing where an intersection is too far away. E.g. like most arterials in Atlanta suburbs.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by magnetar

I wonder if any of the folks complaining about drivers and pedestrians above ever considered that maybe the pedestrians who break traffic laws and the drivers who break traffic laws might be the same people? Maybe most people drive sometimes, and walk sometimes? Maybe there aren't two entirely unique groups of people, drivers vs. walkers, locked in an epic battle to inconvenience/harm one another at every turn?

Folks everywhere could stand to use a little more common sense and exercise a bit more patience, whatever their modality of transport.

Absolutely not, everyone knows when some gets behind the wheel they follow all traffic laws. And when someone walks or rides a bike, they disobey all traffic laws and magically become jerks. /s