The Responsibility of Pedestrians

I walk. A lot. I try to walk or bike when I need to get around town as much as possible. Which generally works well. I’m fortunate in that I live 2 blocks from my office and within walking or biking distance of most of my daily needs. Occasionally I need to drive to an out of town meeting, but I often do not drive at all during the week.

Sebastopol has been making improvements to the pedestrian infrastructure, but generally, our streets are still dominated by cars and pedestrians need to remain vigilant. The most significant thing the city has been doing is installing improved crosswalks. These have signs, stamped colored asphalt paving and flashing lights (some crosswalks have them embedded in the paving in addition to pole-mounted lights) that are triggered by pedestrians pushing a button prior to crossing. Not every car stops when the lights are flashing, but eventually they do and it makes drivers more aware of pedestrians.

Street Smart Sebastopol crossing of Main Street and Calder

However, as pedestrians, we cannot assume that we are always seen by drivers and must take responsibility for our own safety. Cars are big and potentially dangerous to pedestrians, and pedestrians need to remain alert to that fact. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration more than 4,700 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents in 2012 and over 76,000 were injured. I often see pedestrians engaging in activities that could put themselves into danger. Most often it is texting or talking on their phone or listening to music. While it may not be as dangerous as doing so while driving it does take your attention away from what you are doing. This is particularly dangerous when you find yourself in a space you have to share with a car like crossing a street or driveway. Drivers do not always see you and it is your responsibility to make sure they do.

While the newer, improved crosswalks are helpful, I never walk into the crosswalk until I am positive that the car is stopping, and then I proceed slowly until I know that the car in the second lane is stopping as well. It is amazing how often a car in the lane closest to me stops and several cars blow by in the next lane, as if the first car is stopping for no reason. And they are more effective when activated. I see many people just walk into the crosswalk without pushing the button to  turn on the flashing lights. I know it’s one more thing to do, but it’s worth the effort.

Pedestrians also must never assume that just because you have a walk signal at a crosswalk, or a green light that it is safe to cross. You still need to watch for cars making right hand turns and cars running a red light. Drivers are not always looking for you, so you must be aware of them.

One-way streets create a difficult situation for pedestrians crossing intersecting side streets. And because Main Street and Petaluma Avenue are one-way we have quite a few of these locations in Sebastopol. Drivers on the side streets that are turning onto the one-way street tend only to look for vehicular traffic coming from the single direction. If you are a pedestrian coming from the opposite direction it is likely they will not look in your direction. You need to make sure they are aware of you before you enter the street.

I will say that I think being a regular walker has made me a better driver. Since I’m so often a pedestrian I find myself more aware of pedestrians and bikes when I’m driving. If we design our communities to encourage more walking we may end up with better drivers. Much of the emphasis on decreasing traffic accidents focuses on drivers, and they do have a big responsibility as cars can be deadly and we need to always be aware of that fact as drivers. However, traffic safety is a shared responsibility and pedestrians must remain vigilant and accountable for their own safety.