For the past several weeks, University City Police have been running a sting operation on Delmar Blvd. near Luptons Chapel. They send a decoy pedestrian into a crosswalk in front of on-coming traffic. If the automobile does not stop (California style) the driver is issued a traffic ticket.
While this appears to make Delmar Blvd. a little more pedestrian friendly, it has created a dangerous hazard on the roadway. The decoy has purposefully stepped in front of on-coming traffic which may or may not have time to stop. Police standing in the road attempting to pull over violators create a hazard and police pursuits have ended up around blind corners where heavy traffic flows.
While there may have been serious injuries on Delmar, this is a busy street and will never be pedestrian friendly. Cross walks with signals have had fatalities on Delmar. People run those red lights all of the time. Creating a dangerous situation to prevent another dangerous situation seems foolish. Creating a false sense security where none should be expected could be lethal.
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2 comments:
I saw them doing this once, but I didn't realize they were using a decoy. Perhaps she should be wearing body armor. Those tickets are expensive, I hear.
A well-run crosswalk enforcement operation will not have the police decoy enter the street if approaching vehicles are too close to stop safely. A good example is on satellite tv this week.
Tuesday, December 12, DISH Network will show Episode 88 of "Perils For Pedestrians".
Contents of Episode 88 (2003):
--We visit Silver Spring, Maryland, to observe a targeted crosswalk enforcement detail.
--We talk with one of the decoy pedestrians from the Montgomery County police.
--In Charleston, the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League has helped pass legislation relaxing school acreage requirements.
--We travel to Brooklyn, New York, where Transportation Alternatives has been advocating for pedestrians and bicyclists.
DISH Network Channel 9411 -- The Universityhouse Channel
Tuesday -- 9:30 pm Eastern, 6:30 Pacific
Note: Episode 88 is not yet available on Google Video.
Note: Public access cable channels are showing different episodes than DISH Network.
Thank you.
John Z Wetmore
www.pedestrians.org
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