Pedestrian Crossing?

From NY Times:

SeeClickFix: Pedestrian Crossing?

By Jasmine Marcus

Jasmine Marcus Cars at intersection of 5th and Valley.

Perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects of trying to walk in the suburbs is dealing with cars that won’t stop to let you cross the street. The problem has seemingly gotten worse in the past few years as the number of distracted drivers using cell phones has risen.

During a recent seat belt campaign in Millburn, police figures show that cell phone violations were the second most common cause for tickets, accounting for nearly one-fifth of all summonses during the end of May, the police said.

One intersection, where 5th Street meets Valley Street near Waterlands Park in South Orange, has gotten attention lately for being particularly hard to navigate on foot.

A poster on SeeClickFix, Elissa, wrote, “It is impossible to cross Valley Street to go to Memorial Park. No one stops at the cross walk and when people do other cars just go around them.”

Michael Goldberg, a South Orange trustee and chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said he had heard similar complaints from others, including a friend who tries to walk to the park with her child.

The Local sent a reporter out to observe the intersection, which is a few blocks from downtown South Orange.

Over the course of an hour on a recent weekday afternoon, approximately 1,320 cars drove through the T-shaped intersection.

Of the drivers, about 390, or 30 percent, could be seen either texting or speaking on cell phones. It could not be determined how many were speaking on unseen hands-free devices.

The dangers of driving while using cell phones have become increasingly publicized, with recent studies claiming that drivers with phones are four times likelier to cause car crashes than others, a likelihood similar to someone with a blood alcohol level of 0.08, the point at which it becomes illegal to drive in most states.

And while accidents are rare, the distracted driving takes a toll on pedestrians, especially in a state where 86 pedestrians have died so far this year, up 30 percent from the first part of last year.

Two children trying to cross Valley to approach the park had to wait over two minutes for a break in the stream of traffic since no cars stopped for them. (A handful of pedestrians tried to cross during the counting.)

Joshua, 8, said he and his sister Chadira, 12, who live near the park, often have a hard time crossing.

When asked if cars ever stop for the pair, he said, “Sometimes, but most of the time, no.”

So why can’t the town listen to posters on SeeClickFix such as “Sarah Hayden” and install a traffic light?

Mr. Goldberg said the town engineer was approached about the issue, but found that a light was not warranted since there was not enough pedestrian traffic.

Even if there had been more foot traffic, the process would be complicated by the fact that Valley is a county road.

In the end, Mr. Goldberg said that the town is looking into obtaining funding for other “traffic calming measures.”

“It’s probably one of the most frequently asked questions,” he said. “People ask for something on their street: speed bumps or more enforcement.” He said speeding is a problem everywhere. “Everyone has cars zipping in front of their house — it’s always too fast, no matter how fast they’re going.”

The Local has asked the South Orange police department for an estimate of the number of summonses issued at the intersection, and if it has plans to step up enforcement of the law requiring drivers to stop for pedestrians who are in crosswalks, even unmarked ones. We’ll update the post when we hear back.