My First Blog Rant - cars not stopping for kids at a cross walk

Crossing Guard with Extras

I walked my two boys home from school yesterday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised how many kids, parents, stroller, and bikes were making their way home via the sidewalk.  At the first intersection, there is a junior crossing guard (5th grader) who's function is to hold back the peds until it is safe to cross, usually letting a car or two go first.

Yesterday, besides all the traffic on the sidewalks, there were also many cars at the 4-way stop. (Who's riding in the school buses?) And a long line of cars barely came to a stop, one after another, rolling through the intersection while more and more walkers and bikers bunched up at the intersection.  Buses made their way through the intersection.  And NO car stopped long enough to let 50 or so walkers have a turn.

I will now humbly point out that the Ann Arbor ordinance requires vehicles to stop fully at crosswalks with no traffic control signals, instead of only yielding as they were required to do in the past. Currently, about 15 percent of Ann Arbor residents walk to work or school, and pedestrians often encounter problems when it comes to the safety of crossing streets, according to a press release from Ann Arbor city officials.

Vehicles must now stop for those not only currently on the crosswalk, but those approaching it as well. 

The ordinance also dictates that pedestrians can’t enter a vehicle’s path when the driver is unable to respond in the proper fashion. Also, if a pedestrian does not cross at a crosswalk, then they must take it upon themselves to yield to vehicles.

Ann Arbor City Ordinance for crosswalks here: http://www.a2gov.org/government/city_administration/City_Clerk/Documents/10-28%20Crosswalk%20Ordinance%20Approval%20Notice.pdf

Astrid