Crosswalks?

jmc said:

Serious question: what constitutes an unmarked crosswalk??

If I remember right from the Great South Orange Crosswalk Crackdown of 2014, it's any intersection unless specifically marked "no pedestrians," like the (dare I bring this up again) signs between Ashley and Dunkin Donuts.

Furthermore, pedestrians can cross anywhere if there is clearly enough time, and cars must yield; but pedestrians are in the wrong if they run blindly into traffic or expect cars to slam on the brakes.

jmc said:

Serious question: what constitutes an unmarked crosswalk??

An unmarked crosswalk is any crosswalk without painted lines or other marking (pavers, etc). Basically, at any intersection there is a crosswalk, be it marked or unmarked. Pedestrians are able to cross unless there are signs specifically prohibiting them from doing so (for example, outside Ashley Market / Dunkin Donuts in SO). More info: http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/pedsafety/crosswalks.shtm

new207040 said:

i am to the point i also flash my brake lights several times to make sure the idiot behind me sees me brsking

I do this too -- actually do it all the time, in any situation when I want to be sure the driver behind me knows that I want him/her to keep a safe distance... also have been known to put my flashers on to really drive home the "Stay Back" message to a driver who's following me too closely for my comfort.

joan_crystal said:

Those of us who live in the area know to cross Prospect Street at either Courter Avenue or Tuscan Road (both of which have crosswalks) because the crosswalk in front of Prospect Church is extremely dangerous for pedestrians.

My observation is that a great many people DON'T "know" that and it appears that the majority of people walking from that direction DO cross Prospect in front of the church rather than at the Tuscan Road intersection.

hankzona said:

I invite anyone to stand with me on my front porch at 8AM and watch the cringe-worthy confluence of middle school kids being dropped off (in not such a manner befitting their precious cargo status) and the especially frantic/selfish rushing for the train crowd. I see clowns and scary beings every day, not just on Halloween.

If a child walks to or from school and gets hit by a car, there is a 50% (FIFTY PERCENT) chance that the driver is driving his/her kid to or from school. These parents might think they are avoiding danger for their children, but actually, they are creating danger.

If I need to stop for a pedestrian on a busy street with a car up my azz, I will position my car so that no one can pass me on the right or left. It may seem like a pain but it works. I wish I could block traffic in both directions.

^^ If you do that on Prospect, the offending car will likely drive either on the adjacent sidewalk or in the lane intended for traffic going in the opposite direction. I have seen both of these actions occur with some frequency.

Today I pulled over by Prospect Church to let my son out to meet his friends for the walk to school. As I did, the crossing guard stopped traffic to allow children to cross and three or four cars back a driver began insistently honking to move traffic. If I hadn't been blocking his way around he surely would have hit someone in his angry haste to get around the stopped vehicles.
We are actively trying to have the problems on Prospect addressed near the corner of Sommer where cars far to frequently crash into mine and my neighbors yards. However if others are concerned about other parts of Prospect, now would be a good time to inform the Mayor and City Council as assessments are being made about ways to address the issue. (It can't all come from me!)

joan_crystal said:

^^ If you do that on Prospect, the offending car will likely drive either on the adjacent sidewalk or in the lane intended for traffic going in the opposite direction. I have seen both of these actions occur with some frequency.

Prospect is too wide to effectively block with my Highlander.

Last Monday I saw a child in the middle of the crosswalk on Ridgewood & Durand almost get hit. I was stopped at the stop sign on Durand and a car across Ridgewood was also stopped. A car on Ridgewood going towards South Orange stopped for the child who was waiting to cross at the crosswalk. The child proceeded when he saw 3 cars stopped for him, but a car traveling towards Millburn on Ridgewood came flying down the street and came within inches of hitting him. She had to swerve towards my car in order to not hit the child. I emailed all the town council members about the incident and pedestrian safety in general. Kathy Leventhal responded to my email and said my concern will be on the agenda for the Public Safety sub-committee meeting which Mr. Brownlee chairs. If other people have these same concerns maybe reach out to Mr. Brownlee to encourage some type of pedestrian safety campaign.

@acdon can you please share Mr. Brownlee's contact information?

yes, please!

Thanks acdon - I would like to email as well. I don't know what the solution should be but I think there are issues of raising awareness of the crossing rules via better signage (I just learned a lot I didn't know from this thread) and enforcement

PS I love that Maplewood is a walking town and that my kids walk everywhere and I want to make sure they're safe crossing the roads

Here is the email address I used for Mr. Brownlee -mbrownlee@twp.maplewood.nj.us. Maybe some type of pedestrian safety campaign can be initiated by the township committee.

I stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk on Springfield Ave in Irvington. The avenue is two lanes each way. Well some bonehead sped through the crosswalk in the other lane and nearly hit the pedestrian as he walked past my car.

For the safety of the pedestrian, I may have been better off blocking him from crossing.

Cars are shifting to Prospect because the Police in South Orange rarely do speed enforcement on that street. When they do, I see that almost all of the cars stopped are driven by women. This is interesting because most of the cars I see speeding are driven by men.

Wyoming is a problem too. I was walking in a crosswalk in the morning at 630am while it was still dark two weeks ago. Reflective vest, fluorescent hat and iphone with flashing light on. Driver got so close that I could reach out and touch the truck after he stopped...and he only stopped because he heard me scream. He was not at the intersection when I started across or I would have waited...he was coming down a side street and then turned in to me. I've added flashing lights and a flashlight to my routine since then but no one ever stops. I try to wait for the road to be completely empty but it can be hard on a busy street. It seems to be a pervasive problem in our town.

I truly feel that when I cross the street in Maplewood that I am risking my life. And, that's in the crosswalk with the walk sign granting me right of way. I think it's deplorable what's been allowed to go on in this town and that much more needs to be done. It would be fine by me to have cameras at every intersection, for stop signs and red lights, and to increase the cost of a moving violation to an amount that would really hurt someone's wallet, including points. Folks talk on the phone, text, blow through red lights, and menace you when you cross the street with the right of way. I see it every single day walking home and crossing Tuscan and Valley. And, if anyone thinks the new speed limit is being followed on Valley, you can forget it. We need a revolution in enforcement. And yes, I am sure some asshat will respond by complaining about pedestrians.

+1

I have, a couple of times, used a high power flashlight and pointed it at drivers' eyes in strobe mode when they failed to yield to me in a crosswalk in NJ. Not a good idea, honestly, but it worked.

I'm using bike lights on my dogs" leashes. I know the drivers can see us but they still don't stop.

A friend's dog has a thick yellow reflective collar that she [the dog] wears when it is dark outside. This helps attentive drivers to see them when they cros the street. Not sure what will work for inattentive drivers or those who are attentive but just don't care to follow the traffic laws.

I tried to cross on Valley in a marked cross walk tonight, NO ONE stopped. I moved a little more in the street, thinking they might get the clue, they just moved to the left.

In the dark, I cut slack to drivers. They really may not see me in a crosswalk. I don't expect them to. However, I do find that it helps to carry a flashlight and point it at the ground and swing it back and forth. That really does help.

Teach your kids to cross when they have the correct walk signal. Four girls walking / crossing at Baker and Valley yesterday. 3 crossing Baker heading south, one crossing Valley. They were likely MMS students who had stayed late as it was about 4:30 pm. I had the green on Valley and was about three cars back. Valley crosser proceeds to cross Valley while the Valley traffic had the green light. Rolled down my window and called out that she really should wait for the walk signal to cross. Totally oblivious to the fact she was crossing against the light. And no, she didn't get caught in the street mid cycle. We already had the green on Valley when she just walked across after saying bye to her friends who were crossing Baker. .

Why can't we get some of these signs? Before you say "snow plows" this is a photo from Chicago.

^^^^^^^^ Yes!

My pet peeve...why is there a "Yield" sign rather than a stop sign on Durand at the intersection of Maplewood Avenue? Cars come barreling down Durand ready to turn right onto Maplewood Ave, looking left to yield to cars on Maplewood Ave. They rarely look right to yield to, never mind stop for, pedestrians crossing Durand. I'm certain we can do better at that busy pedestrian intersection right in front of the train station!

muppet - that's exactly what's needed on Prospect