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"They say nobody walks in LA, but many people cross Sunset Blvd. at Portia everyday. This new signalized crosswalk will make it safer for them when they do," Council President Eric Garcetti said today at a news conference introducing Echo Park's new pedestrian friendly feature.
By law, pedestrians have the right of way at every crosswalk, marked or not, including t-intersections. However, with little driver education on the manner, being a pedestrian, even in a well-lit blinking crosswalk, is deadly, a fact that has been proven time and time again, including a few times at Sunset and Portia.
When it comes to marked crosswalks, the city's most repeated sentiment is that they do not want pedestrians to feel overwhelmingly safe--just because cars are supposed to stop by law doesn't mean they will. To that end, when pedestrians push the button at Portia, the signals will immediately blink for drivers to see, but the pedestrian will not see those lights. That's because the city wants pedestrians to still look both ways and take caution when crossing.
On average, signalized crosswalks cost $75,000.
