On The Road With Cindy & Jeff | Operation Crosswalk in Boston

On The Road With Cindy & Jeff

SmartRoutes traffic reporters Cindy Campbell and Jeff Larson dish on all the latest traffic news in The Hub.

7/25/2008 5:59:12 PM

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Operation Crosswalk in Boston

Posted by: Anonymous on May 24, 2007 at 9:23AM EST

The Boston Police Department has launched "Operation Crosswalk" in order to target drivers who do not stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk. In a three-hour period, 62 drivers were pulled over for not stopping for pedestrians on Tremont Street. State laws mandate that pedestrians in a crosswalk have the right of way.

Hopefully, more public safety and awareness campaigns like this will keep pedestrians safe. Personally, I welcome this campaign. My sister was hit in the middle of a crosswalk and is permanently disabled, so anything that helps raise awareness and helps pedestrians and drivers safely navigate the roadways is good news.

Here's a link to Channel 5's story. There is also a survey, too.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/13376798/detail.html

(2) Comments

Posted by: jfh on May 24, 2007 10:17AM EST

BPD could stand to taste its own medicine here.

Police officers have taken to parking/driving what appear to be personal vehicles on the Southwest Corridor bike/pedestrian path that runs behind police HQ. Their cars regularly block the bicycle and pedestrian paths.

I was almost hit by a police officer this morning who was turning his personal vehicle around in the middle of the bike path while talking on his cell phone.

BPD ought to lead by example when it comes to pedestrian safety.

Posted by: scott on May 24, 2007 5:12PM EST

As a pedestrian, I hate when drivers don't yield to me. But as a driver in and around Cambridge, I constantly see pedestrians crossing illegally -- and dangerously, often when talking on a cell phone.

One phenomenon I noticed is that some pedestrians wait until a light turns green, then cross *against* it. Huh?

Some pedestrians get mad if you honk at them if they try to across against the green light.

And don't get me started on bicyclists driving through red lights...

If the roads were less of a free-for-all and *all* the laws enforced, I think the entire community would act somewhat more civilized. This random act of enforcement is a far cry from what would make a significant difference.