Jaywalking and accidents (San Antonio, Keller, Fredericksburg: how much, homes, neighborhood)

[ashbeeigh]

This just happened today Pedestrian hit, killed on Fredericksburg Road - San Antonio Express-News and while there isn't any note as to whether this happened in a crosswalk or in the middle of the street it just drives home the point (at least for me) that jaywalking is a problem. I see it everywhere in the city, on the westside near Guadalupe and Zarzamora, downtown, on the northside near Jackson Keller and Blanco, near the De Zavala/10 area...everywhere. I know it's a silly offense and common sense, but at some point don't y'all think that there should be some consequence (aside from being struck by a car and killed?). It's all ages and it's reinforced by parents. I was in the middle of a run last week and saw a group of teenagers cross the street with a crosswalk not even 100 yard up the way. When I asked them to be careful and why they didn't just go up a bit it was because "we'd have to go up a hill..." Oh my gosh. And right after I passed them up I saw a mom and a 4/5 year old cross not even 100 feet from where the teens were almost hit. Come on.
Maybe this was just a rant, maybe it's a discussion and maybe it will turn into an argument. Whatever it is I had to get it off my virtual chest.

[nismospec]

i'm with you all the way. I drive fred rd every single day and it's like playing a game of *******.
while today was tragic, yes something needs to be done. start handing out tickets left and right. many, not all, of the people on fred rd that I encounter day in and day out will cross when they feel like it with total disregard for traffic as if they had the right of way.

and yes, i've seen children/strollers/etc. crossing thanks to their "caring" parents. :/

further up the road from today's accident is that crossing light near the retirement home. seen people jaywalk 20 ft from the crossing. really? it was put there for a reason, but you can't walk an extra 20 ft to hit the button that will stop traffic and allow you to cross safely. ashbeeigh, my rant is done as well.

[elnina]

Most of those people are physically and/or mentally disabled, living in a senior type of housing or group homes.
There are not many pedestrian crossings on the road, and this accident seem to happen close to a bus stop. (Google that area and look for pedestrian crossings, I don't see any for miles...There is not even a decent pedestrian walkway in that area for them to move around).
At that early hour, it's possible that the person was trying to catch the bus, for a dr appointment or hospital visit.
Even if he was crossing the street in a wrong spot, he was not running across it, but wheeling himself slowly.
How come the woman driver didn't see him? How fast she was driving? Did she paid attention to the road, or maybe she was busy drinking morning coffee or on the phone?
Just saying.....

[LindaGrace]

Fred Rd. is in dire need of many more crosswalks. Pedestrians shouldn't have to walk the equivalent of a couple blocks to find a legal place to cross the street.

[The Man in SATX]

its not just Fredericksburg rd.. it is all over the place. Yesterday I almost hit a kid who was clearly not watching where he was walking as he crossed in the middle of the road where there was no crosswalk. Had I not seen him busy listening to his headset and knowing people the way I do.. I would have probably killed him. I slowed down and honked my horn at him as he crossed right in front of me.. Scared the bejesus out of him.. I think he realized that he messed up by 1) having his headset on for his ipod or whatever they call it.. and 2) crossing where there was not crosswalk 3) busy messing with his ipod when he should have been paying attention to where he was walking.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by elnina

Most of those people are physically and/or mentally disabled, living in a senior type of housing or group homes.

That may be true for the Fredricksburg area but what about other areas of the city? Many of the people I see crossing just seem to be too impatient to walk the few extra feet to the crosswalk.

[Montirob]

Originally Posted by elnina

Most of those people are physically and/or mentally disabled, living in a senior type of housing or group homes.
There are not many pedestrian crossings on the road, and this accident seem to happen close to a bus stop. (Google that area and look for pedestrian crossings, I don't see any for miles...There is not even a decent pedestrian walkway in that area for them to move around).

Which is why, when VIA's BRT system was being planned, we asked for better pedestrian connectivity. There are long stretches that have NO sidewalk, and there are even brand new BRT stations that sit alone with only dirt to connect them to the rest of the commercial district. The city at the time said that there was no desire downtown to add or improve the sidewalks (say in a bond issue).

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

That may be true for the Fredricksburg area but what about other areas of the city? Many of the people I see crossing just seem to be too impatient to walk the few extra feet to the crosswalk.

this is true downtown, but in the Med Center, crosswalks are few and far between. It can be 0.5 miles or more between crosswalks, which makes a huge difference on a hot day.... I used to walk in that area a lot, and was a stickler for always utilizing cross walks, but the lack of crosswalks in the area is an enormous problem.

Oh, and since Texas, in its wisdom, does not have a law requiring motorists to stop when a person is in a crosswalk (unless there is a sign posted), I'm not sure how much it'd matter.

1. More crosswalks (like right where bus stops are)
2. Law change and motorist education to require stopping when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk.


The reality is that most of the city was to built with pedestrians in mind. Downtown, it IS because people don't want to walk a few feet.

[Soviet]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

This just happened today Pedestrian hit, killed on Fredericksburg Road - San Antonio Express-News and while there isn't any note as to whether this happened in a crosswalk or in the middle of the street it just drives home the point (at least for me) that jaywalking is a problem. I see it everywhere in the city, on the westside near Guadalupe and Zarzamora, downtown, on the northside near Jackson Keller and Blanco, near the De Zavala/10 area...everywhere. I know it's a silly offense and common sense, but at some point don't y'all think that there should be some consequence (aside from being struck by a car and killed?). It's all ages and it's reinforced by parents. I was in the middle of a run last week and saw a group of teenagers cross the street with a crosswalk not even 100 yard up the way. When I asked them to be careful and why they didn't just go up a bit it was because "we'd have to go up a hill..." Oh my gosh. And right after I passed them up I saw a mom and a 4/5 year old cross not even 100 feet from where the teens were almost hit. Come on.
Maybe this was just a rant, maybe it's a discussion and maybe it will turn into an argument. Whatever it is I had to get it off my virtual chest.

I generally agree with your rant, but I do have to say this: San Antonio is woefully short of crosswalks, particularly in the suburbs. I've had many an opportunity to actually walk around the city whenever my car was in for maintenance or window tint installation or something of that sort that required a few hours of my time. Instead of just being lazy and goofing around on my phone at the dealer/shop, I would always walk around the neighborhood and check stuff out, because I encounter places/restaurants/stores that I never would have been able to encounter otherwise. And whenever I've done this, I've noticed the massive lack of crosswalks. It's a city-wide epidemic and the onus is on the city to install more crosswalks in logical areas where they would actually get some use.

[nismospec]

Originally Posted by elnina

Most of those people are physically and/or mentally disabled, living in a senior type of housing or group homes.
There are not many pedestrian crossings on the road, and this accident seem to happen close to a bus stop. (Google that area and look for pedestrian crossings, I don't see any for miles...There is not even a decent pedestrian walkway in that area for them to move around).
At that early hour, it's possible that the person was trying to catch the bus, for a dr appointment or hospital visit.
Even if he was crossing the street in a wrong spot, he was not running across it, but wheeling himself slowly.
How come the woman driver didn't see him? How fast she was driving? Did she paid attention to the road, or maybe she was busy drinking morning coffee or on the phone?
Just saying.....

the accident happened right in front of the Tink A Taco of Fred Rd. There's a crossing a street light at Vance Jackson/Fred rd. maybe a 1/4 mile or less, and there's another light not too far away headed the opposite direction. while crossings are few and far in-between, they were fairly close in this instance.