Monday, November 7, 2011

Keeping crosswalks in perspective

If you've been following the comments on the Com regarding the city's pedestrian crossing ordinance, it may seem like Ann Arbor is suffering form a plague of rear-end collisions due to said ordinance. It's refreshing to read Albert McWilliams' post on the controversy, Smart folks in Ann Arbor crash their cars into stuff, blame City Council. As a very infrequent driver and frequent walker, I like the ordinance. It has made my daily crossing of Observatory at Washington Heights slightly less treacherous. It will be interesting to see how this issue plays out in tomorrow's city council election.

H/T Ann Arbor Chronicle

2 comments:

  1. the city has not done a good job of visiting the existing crosswalks to see how they are laid out and whether they can be improved. for example, at least once a week, i find myself stopped at a crosswalk, angrily staring at an indifferent pedestrian standing at street's edge staring vacantly. turns out, the pedestrian is waiting for AATA, but the bus stop and cross walk coincide. that's no good. also, consider the crosswalks in front of community high. parked cars make it impossible to tell if someone is waiting/trying to cross until nearly upon the first crosswalk. that's no good. until the city does the second half of the job, drivers and pedestrians will continue to be endangered by the new policy.

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  2. Why are people so angry? As someone who's more frequently a pedestrian than a motorist, I'm glad that we have this rule, but on Miller no one's following it. I stand and wait for long lines of cars to pass before I venture into the crosswalk. If someone does come zooming down the hill as I cross, I do get dirty looks because the drivers have to slow down (they're usually driving WELL OVER the 30MPH speed limit).

    When I am driving, I really don't have any problem stopping for those coming up to a crosswalk. I've stopped for those waiting for the bus, no big deal. After I realized they weren't going to cross, I moved along.

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