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  • Crosswalk Law

    As a daily walker( I do it for my health ) I noticed that no one is following the new crosswalk law. Did this new law take affect yet or is it just another unenforceable law that will only be used when someone gets banged? I know where I live in Hilo, I've seen even police zoom in front me . If you read the link the law says ALL cars must STOP untill the car is cleared. It seems IMO, that the law is more concerned about pedestrians jaywalking and will fine them before a driver.
    Why make a law no one will obey is beyond me. Drive with aloha!
    Last edited by alohabear; September 2, 2005, 09:13 AM.
    Listen to KEITH AND THE GIRLsigpic

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  • #2
    Re: Crosswalk Law

    There were TV news cameras following cops around yesterday, with both drivers and pedestrians being ticketed. I thought the dual focus was a pleasant surprise, since while I agree that pedestrians usually get the short end of the stick, they commit more than their share of stupid acts as well.

    Still, as soon as the reporters file their stories and the cops get their PR fill, I'm pretty sure it'll be same-old, same-old again. Except, maybe, for a little more teeth in prosecution if and when someone does get hurt in a car-ped altercation.

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    • #3
      Re: Crosswalk Law

      Has anyone noticed that the new PSA for this thing tells you the penalty for breaking the law is a $97 "monetary assessment?" Not a fine, mind you, but an "assessment."

      I wonder what PR genius thought that one up.
      http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/

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      • #4
        Re: Crosswalk Law

        Originally posted by Linkmeister
        ....for breaking the law is a $97 "monetary assessment?" Not a fine, mind you, but an "assessment."
        doesn't make us feel any better.
        "a rose by any other name has thorns that stick just as deep."
        or something like that.

        thank the polititians and lawyers for this stew peed doubletalk and convoluted lingo.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Crosswalk Law

          I honestly don't think the law is going to work. There simply aren't enough cops to enforce it, and in general, I don't think enforcing that law is high on the priority list of cops most of the time.

          As a pedestrian and as a driver, I still think installing more lights or stop signs to reinforce cars stopping at crosswalks will have more of an impact. I don't trust cars to stop for me at crosswalks, especially at night. I'll walk out of my way to reach an intersection with a stoplight or trafflic light rather than deal with the risk of crossing otherwise.

          As a driver, it can be really challenging to see pedestrians on the side of the road, especially at night when the pedestrian is dressed in dark clothing and standing on a dimly lit street. I also get really irked by jaywalkers, who don't seem to realize that a car might not be able to stop in time, especially when someone darts out and misjudges the distance. Grrr. In Waikiki I've seen so many drivers forced to put on their brakes for jaywalkers who seem to think they are impervious to harm and aren't held to the same traffic laws as the rest of us.

          A month after moving here, I got bumped by a truck on Ala Moana one morning. The guy in the truck was coming out of a parking garage directly onto Ala Moana. I paused, realized the truck was stopped, and began to cross. The next thing I knew, the truck was moving forward, with me right in front of it! Luckily it stopped in time, but I was almost pushed into Ala Moana traffic and fell under the wheels before the guy realized there was a pedestrian right in front of him. Geesh. I still carry a faint scar from the friction burn my arm suffered from contact with the truck's hood. (I DID have the right-of-way, in case anybody was wondering.)

          I still kinda blame myself (like defensive driving, I believe in defensive walking--which means make eye contact with the driver before crossing and wear brighter clothing at night.), but the incident reminded me that you can't assume a driver will see pedestrian, even if the pedestrian is directly in front of the driver's vehicle while the vehicle is stopped. I've not broken my "make eye contact rule with drivers before crossing" rule since the truck incident.

          Hawaii isn't very bike-friendly or pedestrian-friendly--so I'm not too surprised that people prefer to drive around here. That crosswalk law isn't going to change that mental attitude people have of personal vehicles being superior to everything else that might share the road with them. The only thing that will work will be forcing drivers to stop through additional stop signs and traffic lights, something drivers are more used to obeying (most of the time.).
          Last edited by AbsolutChaos; March 4, 2006, 12:11 PM.

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          • #6
            Re: Crosswalk Law

            Just more "feel good" legislation supposedly designed to protect us from ourselves and to "shoe-in" the incumbents. Totally unenforceable. Just another notch for something they did "what was right for the people". Right....the constituents keep grumbling and the same knuckleheads keep getting reelected.

            Personally, if you're a driver, pedestrian or cyclist doing what you're supposed to be doing, when and where you're supposed to be doing it, you have my full attention and kokua, maybe even a smile, which is not easy to do with this grumpy old fart. All the laws and rules of the road are in the book. Most people don't even know the rules for going through a 4 way stop because nobody stops at stop signs anymore. Just no more "common sense" these days.

            I like to gogogo just as much as the next guy, but I come to full stops at signs and I'll let Mrs. Miyashiro cross the road even though she's crooked and slow and keeps bowing and waving thanks to me.

            Yeah, and I voted for the other guy so I can grumble all I want.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Crosswalk Law

              Just this morning a motorist in front of me made a left at an intersection, closely clipping a gal as she made her way towards the curb. This, while there were THREE police officers (and 3 squad cars) just across the street, easily within view of this; albeit, were busy tending to another motorist they had just pulled over. Either drivers like this are still unaware of the new pedestrian law or are casually disregarding it. I see this happen OFTEN.

              I'm a motorist who absolutely respects and obeys the new pedestrian law. It just amazes me when I STOP and WAIT for pedestrians to completely clear the crosswalk on my side of the road, only to have drivers behind me either beep their horn or aggressively pull around and look at me as they pass like I'm some kind of idiot holding up traffic. I guess it will take that license revocation fine to be enacted in order to make drivers listen.

              Don't even get me started on drivers using hand-held celphones. Where's that law?
              Last edited by Pomai; March 8, 2006, 08:14 AM.
              sigpic The Tasty Island

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              • #8
                Re: Crosswalk Law

                Originally posted by Pomai
                Don't even get me started on drivers using hand-held celphones. Where's that law?
                Good question. Might be a good time to revisit the cell phones and driving thread. Though that first round went off the rails into a thicket of party politics pretty quickly.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Crosswalk Law

                  You guys see that bit from the legislator (Marilyn Lee, D, Mililani) that wants to put bins full of flags-on-a-stick at both ends of crosswalks? She wants you to grab a flag and hold it high as you traverse the crosswalk across the street. For visibility.

                  I figure about 2 minutes is all it would take before the neighborhood kids would raid the bins of all their flags and throw them in the river, or some such other makeshift entertainment as would strike their fancy.

                  Sounds rather retarded to me.

                  Blaine

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                  • #10
                    Re: Crosswalk Law

                    Actually, there is at least one place in the greater Seattle area that uses this flag system (Kirkland). I don't know how often they have to replace the flags due to kids stealing them, but it does seem to slow drivers down a bit when they approach an area that has these signs and flags. Of course, this kind of system wouldn't work too well on a 6-lane main thoroughfare! Maybe Kirkland, being a yuppie suburb, doesn't have many kids living in its neighborhoods.

                    Miulang
                    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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                    • #11
                      Re: Crosswalk Law

                      I was thinking more along the lines of King St. in Kalihi, near the Kalihi Stream... the Mayor Wright's kids goin' have a blast with them flags!
                      Make trouble, have fun, do good stuffs.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Crosswalk Law

                        Originally posted by zztype
                        I was thinking more along the lines of King St. in Kalihi, near the Kalihi Stream... the Mayor Wright's kids goin' have a blast with them flags!
                        Not if Auntie Lynn is watching and giving them the stink eye!

                        Miulang
                        "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Crosswalk Law

                          Originally posted by zztype
                          You guys see that bit from the legislator (Marilyn Lee, D, Mililani) that wants to put bins full of flags-on-a-stick at both ends of crosswalks? She wants you to grab a flag and hold it high as you traverse the crosswalk across the street. For visibility.

                          Sounds rather retarded to me.
                          Every year some bill surfaces as being "retarded" among the hundreds of bad ones working their way into law. This is one of them.

                          Not only will the flags disappear very fast if this is made into law, but the state could be setting itself up for lawsuits if pedestrians expecting to use a flag to cross the street don't have any. If the flagless pedestrians get hit, injured or killed by an oncoming vehicle, they or their families will in turn sue the state or county... or both for not having a flag available at a flagged crosswalk.

                          The lawyers will have a field day with this one.
                          Last edited by mel; March 8, 2006, 05:48 PM.
                          I'm still here. Are you?

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