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Police, PennDOT seek to increase pedestrian safety awareness |
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Front Page Story
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Written by Larry McGuire
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Thursday, 09 July 2009 |
Punxsutawney Borough Police and PennDOT District 10 combined forces Wednesday in launching a Pedestrian Safety Awareness Campaign. Pictured are (from left): Officer Ryan Miller; Marlene Lellock, Chamber executive director; Officer Pat Renwick; Chief Tom Fedigan Jr.; Ben White, borough manager; and Shawn E. Houck, PennDOT District 10. (Photo by Larry McGuire/The Punxsutawney Spirit)
PUNXSUTAWNEY— In a continuous effort to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities, PennDOT District 10, in partnership with Punxsutawney Borough Police, began a pedestrian safety awareness campaign Wedn-esday along East Maho-ning Street.
Shawn Houck, PennDOT District 10, said throughout the campaign, a PennDOT official and borough police officers will personally escort pedestrians across the street. Motorists and pedestrians will also be given safety brochures and safety tips.
Houck said PennDOT reminds motorists that the pedestrian crossing devices — the bright green ‘Yield to Pedestrians' signs placed in the center of the highway at designated crosswalk areas — are designed to slow down traffic and alert motorists of pedestrian areas.
"Once we began this program about eight years ago, communities have come to the point where they are always requesting the signs," he said. "If they become damaged or stolen, the communities are requesting for the signs to be replaced. Punxsy has had several pedestrians killed while crossing on different portions of
Mahoning Street."
Police Chief Tom Fedigan said the bright fluorescent green signs are quite effective in alerting motorists to pedestrian traffic.
"We think they've helped," he said. "Sometimes, you might think that people just ignore the signs or take them for granted because they see them so often. I do think they work."
The Pennsylvania Vehicle Code states when traffic-control signals are not in place, or not in operation, the driver of a vehicle must yield to the right-of-way of a pedestrian crossing the road within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.
Fedigan said the borough has obtained additional funding so officers can enforce the laws and pass out literature to pedestrians and escort people as they cross the street, especially in front of the Civic Center and the Eagles.
"The traffic flow through Punxsutawney is amazing," he said. "Unfortunately, that is a challenge for us. We have a lot of people who enjoy walking — especially downtown — and with the additional vehicle traffic, it's challenging."
Houck said pedestrians have some responsibility to walk safely.
"They can't dart out into a crosswalk either," he said. "They have to make sure to check the motorist's eyes to see if they're paying attention to the road.
"We know in today's environments, we have drivers talking on cell phones, drinking coffee or eating sandwiches while driving," he said. "Ideally, a pedestrian could be dead right, but more importantly, we want them to be safe."
Officer Ryan Miller said both the pedestrian and the motorist must use caution when there's a crosswalk, especially in an intersection.
"The pedestrian needs to have a duty of care when approaching a crosswalk to look both ways and not step out into traffic when vehicles are coming at an unsafe speed," he said. "State law requires that vehicles stop when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk and then yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian."
Miller said the pedestrian has the duty of care to yield to vehicles prior to stepping into the crosswalk.
According to PennDOT, any driver in the Commonwealth who is convicted of an offense could face a fine of $50 and be assessed points. The Vehicle Code also states that no pedestrian may suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close, it constitutes as a hazard.
In 2008, Pennsylvania drivers were involved in 174 fatal crashes with pedestrians. The majority of those deaths occurred when pedestrians attempted to cross the road.
PennDOT District 10 and the Punxsutawney Borough Police were assisted with promoting pedestrian safety by Marlene Lellock, executive director of the Punxsutawney Area Chamber of Commerce; Ben White, borough manager; and Officer Pat Renwick.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 10 July 2009 )
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