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100 Citations Written at Today's Pedestrian Crosswalk Sting in Northridge
Photo by RobeRt Vega via Flickr
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Photo by RobeRt Vega via Flickr
If you don't yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, whether it's marked or not, you might be in violation of the law. That was the message in a pedestrian safety enforcement operation this morning near Cal State Northridge where LAPD traffic officers and campus police stopped 117 people. 17 were let go with warnings, leaving 100 with citations, including five whose vehicles were impounded for driving on suspended or expired license, or just plainly not having one.
Most of those tickets were for drivers failing to yield to pedestrians, but others were written, too: pedestrians received tickets for jaywalking, some cyclists were cited for wearing headphones and one driver who was honking at a car yielding to a pedestrian got nabbed
For Sgt. Arturo Gomez, who heads up the Community Traffic Services unit in the Valley, he is awaiting the day where he doesn't have to write a ticket. "That'd be an awesome day," he said.
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However, that's far from reality so Gomez hopes these operations, and the subsequent media coverage, will help educate everyone. Patience and respect is his mantra, which goes both ways.
He wants to see pedestrians get the cell phones our of their hands, pay attention, not dart out in front of traffic and do the basics -- looking left and right for approaching vehicles. And he wants to see drivers to respect a pedestrian's right-of-way.
There are a handful of California Vehicle Codes that were violated today. They are a worth a look:
(a) The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in this chapter. (b) This section does not relieve a pedestrian from the duty of using due care for his or her safety. 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 as to constitute an immediate hazard. No pedestrian may unnecessarily stop or delay traffic while in a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
Between adjacent intersections controlled by traffic control signal devices or by police officers, pedestrians shall not cross the roadway at any place except in a crosswalk.
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(d) Unless otherwise directed by a pedestrian control signal as provided in Section 21456, a pedestrian facing a steady circular red or red arrow signal shall not enter the roadway.
(b) Flashing or steady "DON'T WALK" or "WAIT" or approved "Upraised Hand" symbol. No pedestrian shall start to cross the roadway in the direction of the signal, but any pedestrian who has partially completed crossing shall proceed to a sidewalk or safety zone or otherwise leave the roadway while the "WAIT" or "DON'T WALK" or approved "Upraised Hand" symbol is showing.
Gomez says his unit is trying to hit up the Valley harder than usual. A similar operation will be held somewhere next week.
Previously: 53 Citations in 90 Minutes: Beverly Hills Police Conduct Crosswalk Sting to Nab Motorists
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