ATA: Compliance with Must Stop for Pedestrians law very low in Chicagoland
https://www.activetrans.org/sites/default/files/Must%20Stop%20Surve...
The results of this survey are not too surprising. Just last night a family crossing Lincoln Ave. in a zebra crosswalk was surprised and thanked me when I stopped my bicycle to wait for them. They didn't know that I was required by law to do so.
This must be the second most ignored traffic law (after speed limits).
Views: 1138
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on
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Multiple sting operations across the city would be great. The city could rake in millions, and lots of drivers would get educated in a short time.
Jordan Schlife said:Time for a (serious) sting operation? It may seem silly, but I'm thinking thousands of tickets per day, easy.
Jeff Schneider said:Tonight I did my own little survey on a round-trip ride from Andersonville to Central Station. I had to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks or at corners several times. Even though each time I stopped, I made the most outrageous stop signal for the drivers following me, in no case did any of them stop. They just went around me, and the pedestrians waited until all cars had passed to cross.
In one case, a cyclist also passed around me (on the right-#@!@&%#!!), but he didn't pass too close to the pedestrians in the crosswalk, and they didn't seem annoyed at him.
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I've taken a few trips to Switzerland. Reasonable orderly traffic and excellent transit were two of the things I really appreciated about it. It's a much more conformist society than we have in the U.S. and the difference really shows in how people drive there.
Louis K said:I just got back from a vacation in Switzerland. No matter where I was, no matter what the speed limit was, every time I walked up to a crosswalk all drivers immediately came to a complete stop. I'm so used to drivers not stopping in the US that I assumed they wouldn't stop and I delayed everyone while my mind slowly realized that the cars were in fact stopping for me. Now I just have to make sure I didn't get used to this behavior and inadvertently cross in Chicago in front of a car that has no intention of stopping.
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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on
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How long have you lived in this city Jeff?
The mayor isn't "elected' -the machine picks him. The "election" is a mere formality. Rahm is still the machine's picked boy. Until he isn't, he's the mayor for life if he wants to be. That's how things work here.
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Unfortunately.
Self-sealing Stembolt said:How long have you lived in this city Jeff?
The mayor isn't "elected' -the machine picks him. The "election" is a mere formality. Rahm is still the machine's picked boy. Until he isn't, he's the mayor for life if he wants to be. That's how things work here.
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Permalink Reply by skyrefuge on
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Not sure if this was sarcasm, but it's already happening.
60 sting operations planned for this year, and last year's operations resulted in 1,200 $120 tickets.
Anne Alt said:Multiple sting operations across the city would be great. The city could rake in millions, and lots of drivers would get educated in a short time.
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Permalink Reply by Sydney Barton on
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I couldn't agree more about posted speed limits. There aren't enough of them anywhere in this city. When I'm driving, I can go for blocks before I see a speed limit. A little reminder can go a long way.
Self-sealing Stembolt said:25MPH speed limits that are strictly enforced with heavy fines, and posted everywhere but on the limited-access expressways, would do a lot more to keep pedestrians and bicyclists safe than anything else.
After 20MPH the chance of a pedestrian being killed or maimed by an automobile driver doubles with every 5mph of speed an automobile is moving at.
20MPH would be twice as safe as 25, but getting cars slowed down to just 25MPH will be hard enough to tackle as a society right now. At speeds over 25 autos are going much too fast to slow down in time for pedestrians attempting to cross at a crosswalk, and cars are much less likely to even attempt to because by the time a driver sees the pedestrian inching into the crosswalk it is already too late for them to stop without screeching to a halt.
Like people have already said above, other drivers in this city will just go around any other vehicle that slows or attempts to stop in front of them in the roadway. It's their first reaction to any vehicle that slows or isn't going fast enough for them. Left, right...it doesn't matter which side they go around, as long as they can get around and keep going to get wherever it is they are going in as little time as possible. That's all most drivers care about.
The real problem is speed, and the impatient entitlement of auto drivers as a whole who feel their time is worth so MUCH more than the lives and safety of any other road users they may pass by in their hurry to get wherever they are going.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on
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There are a number of speed cameras where I live in humboldt park that have done a great job at reducing speeds, but still, I haven't noticed an improvement in people respecting pedestrian's rights of way.
During the nasty deluge last friday, I was walking home with my baby in a stroller and had to play chicken with traffic while crossing this stupid section of Division where it become four lanes for a couple blocks just south of the park.
In the rain. With a stroller. People still wouldn't stop...
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There are too many roads that go from 2 lanes to 4 for a block or two of the Indianapolis 500 before jamming back down to two again.
Those are in serious need of road diets.
KevinM said:There are a number of speed cameras where I live in humboldt park that have done a great job at reducing speeds, but still, I haven't noticed an improvement in people respecting pedestrian's rights of way.
During the nasty deluge last friday, I was walking home with my baby in a stroller and had to play chicken with traffic while crossing this stupid section of Division where it become four lanes for a couple blocks just south of the park.
In the rain. With a stroller. People still wouldn't stop...
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Permalink Reply by Steve Weeks on
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I stop for pedestrians, and if possible, try to take the lane momentarily as I've had drivers go around me. Then I've had to ask pedestrians at times to GTF across the street... they want to give *me* the right of way (some car drivers do this as well).
One thing I'd like to see is the crosswalk design changed a bit to include a prominent box at either end, so a person stepping into the box would be a more definitive signal to an approaching cyclist/motorcyclist of an intention to cross... sometimes it's hard to tell!
Steve
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I like your thinking. The box idea sounds like a good one.
Steve Weeks said:I stop for pedestrians, and if possible, try to take the lane momentarily as I've had drivers go around me. Then I've had to ask pedestrians at times to GTF across the street... they want to give *me* the right of way (some car drivers do this as well).
One thing I'd like to see is the crosswalk design changed a bit to include a prominent box at either end, so a person stepping into the box would be a more definitive signal to an approaching cyclist/motorcyclist of an intention to cross... sometimes it's hard to tell!
Steve
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Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on
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I have to disagree. Toni Preckwinkle would destroy Rahm if she ran, machine or not. Karen Lewis will give him a run for his money too, if she decides to go for it.
Self-sealing Stembolt said:How long have you lived in this city Jeff?
The mayor isn't "elected' -the machine picks him. The "election" is a mere formality. Rahm is still the machine's picked boy. Until he isn't, he's the mayor for life if he wants to be. That's how things work here.
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Permalink Reply by David Barish on
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I see pedestrians on the phone running to beat a light when there are just a couple of seconds left on the light. I see this every day. My rear end is bruised from being hit when I am a pedestrian. I stop and somebody clips me from behind trying to run and make the light. The only thing more annoying than this is the driver who sees traffic stalled ahead of him and decides to try to make it through the intersection with those same couple of seconds left. He is inevitably stuck in the intersection at a red light forming the final lock to the grid. Ok, that was a thread drift...back to the point. Downtown pedestrians are much less reliable than the drivers. The drivers stop because they do not want to peel humans off their tires. Cab drivers are the exception. Loop pedestrians seem to have a lust to be pasted to tread as they dart into the street with no regard for the time on the clock. They figure that until the light turns dead red they will hustle into the street and occasionally put down their phone to take a look, but not often.
Jeff Schneider said:I see similar pedestrian behavior. Typical scenario:
1) Pedestrian waits on corner for drivers to stop;
2) Drivers do not stop;
3) Pedestrian starts looking at phone while waiting;
4) I arrive on bike and stop;
5) Pedestrian is still engrossed in phone;
6) I ask, "Would you like to cross?"
7) Sometimes they cross (and often thank me), sometimes they stay on the corner, thinking that they are required to yield to drivers...
Steve Weeks said:I stop for pedestrians, and if possible, try to take the lane momentarily as I've had drivers go around me. Then I've had to ask pedestrians at times to GTF across the street... they want to give *me* the right of way (some car drivers do this as well).
One thing I'd like to see is the crosswalk design changed a bit to include a prominent box at either end, so a person stepping into the box would be a more definitive signal to an approaching cyclist/motorcyclist of an intention to cross... sometimes it's hard to tell!
Steve
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