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- This topic has 8 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 4 months ago by 22blades.
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December 8, 2019 at 3:13 pm #966390
CarDriverParticipantI’ve had it happen occasionally that i encounter someone comeing towards a crosswalk. If they were walking i would have time to pass through without issue. However, if they’re jogging or running it could be close as it’s harder to judge when they’ll reach the curb. Do runners/joggers have the “right” to continue at their pace or do they need to slow down or stop before crossing?
December 8, 2019 at 5:04 pm #966391
22bladesParticipantI try teally hard to accommodate pedestrians; crosswalks, intersections, etc… It is frustrating when pedestrians don’t make an effort to make the city work or worse, try to make a “point”. Jogging in the middle of the street or blowing through, intersections because they can’t be bothered by sidewalks or crosswalks may be their perception of a right but is confrontational at best, deadly at worst.
December 9, 2019 at 10:42 am #966440
KBearParticipantPedestrians are not allowed to bolt into traffic and create a situation where drivers would be unable to stop, but they are also required to make clear their intention to cross by stepping off the curb. So it seems they would have to slow down first.
December 9, 2019 at 12:34 pm #966452
skeeterParticipant“If they were walking i would have time to pass through without issue.”
Whether you have time/space to pass through is not relevant. If you are in a car and the pedestrian or cyclist is crossing the street, Washington State law requires the car driver to stop for the pedestrian or cyclist.
Also note that *all* intersections without marked crosswalks in Washington State are considered unmarked crosswalks. Automobile drivers are required to stop and let the pedestrian or cyclist proceed.
December 9, 2019 at 12:55 pm #966453
KBearParticipantActually, the law says drivers must stop if a pedestrian is in their lane or within one lane of their half of the roadway. In other words, the pedestrian is on the road. You do not have to stop if a pedestrian is on the sidewalk, away from the road, and is not making it clear that they intend to cross the street. But the original question is: Do runners have to slow down before crossing the street? And the answer is, yes they do, if running into the street would mean that cars would be unable to stop for them. If they’re not already in the street, they don’t have the right of way. Once they are actively crossing the street, then they do. Of course runners often run right into the street, and any good driver knows to watch for this. You don’t want to run someone over, even if they are in the wrong.
December 10, 2019 at 1:33 pm #966545
PonderosaParticipantIt depends on how far away the car is. If you are a safe stopping distance away, and see a jogger entering the crosswalk, it doesn’t matter their pace, you are responsible for stopping. Passing through “without issue” if you have the ability to stop is illegal. It’s pretty easy to also figure out when a jogger will reach the curb, unless they are running side to side and backward or changing erratic paces or are wearing a cloak of invisibility. It’s the same way you determine how fast a car or a walker or a cyclist is going. To echo to Skeeter’s post above, please keep in mind that intersections come in all shapes and sizes, i.e. it doesn’t need to be a 4 way intersection, or a painted, or well-lit or what you consider “safe” to cross. I see a lot of drivers blow through crosswalks where the street only intersects the other street on one side–say California and Hudson or California and Bradford, and various similar “3-way” intersections along our arterials.
- This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by Ponderosa.
December 11, 2019 at 3:20 pm #966644
CarDriverParticipantAs an avid walker-7 miles a day i DO drive safely. My concern is that wheather i’m walking or driveing i see too many pedestrian’s believeing they have rights they don’t actually have. A friendly reminder to ALL that drivers/walkers/cycleists ALL have rules they need to follow.
December 11, 2019 at 8:35 pm #966664
PonderosaParticipantCardriver, despite walking “7 miles a day” you ask a question with the premise of continuing through a crosswalk in a car because you can (despite the legality), but not for the safety of the pedestrian. You have a history of posting about “concerns” regarding cyclists and pedestrians following the law both in the forums and in the comments. I don’t believe you are a pedestrian as frequently as you say, and based on your language focused on any error committed by a cyclist or pedestrian, I believe you are coming into these conversations with a bias against cyclists and pedestrians. And that’s the plural form, not the possessive form, of both. Best of luck to you in the future.
December 12, 2019 at 3:20 pm #966726
CarDriverParticipantActually, i really am an avid walker. Wheather i’m walking or driveing i have my eye’s wide open and really do pay attention. My “bias” is that i believe the law apply’s to every mode of travel. My simple holiday wish is that eveyone follow’s the law. Those that don’t get ticketed.
December 14, 2019 at 5:42 am #966826
22bladesParticipantC’mon everyone. You know it’s about courtesy beyond the law. Everyone needs to help make a city work.
PS Metro driver rule: they go out of their way to thank people doing them a favor. It reinforces civility & I really appreciate it.
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