W&OD Crosswalk Signs Stolen

Remember those signs in the middle of the crosswalk on the W&OD Trail. They've been stolen (tip)

Tempers flared between drivers and W&OD trail users in the City of Falls Church as officials announced the theft of five of the new Yield to Pedestrian signs placed at six W&OD trail crossings in the City last week. It has made the state’s upcoming Bicyclist and Pedestrian Awareness Week all the more relevant.

F.C. Police had no leads as of Tuesday on the stolen property, valued at $2,600, which qualifies the thefts as larcenies. The person responsible could face up to 20 years behind bars as a felon and a fine of $2,500, F.C. Director of Communications Barbara Gordon said earlier this week.

In 2009, 84 people died walking or cycling on Virginia roadways, in addition to 607 cyclists and 1,402 pedestrians who were injured.

I found this to be pretty incredible

Cynthia Fawsett of McLean, who broached the topic in her letter last Nov. 19, said after braking for two runners who blew through a stop sign intended for them on the bike path

Runners? Runners have to stop at the stop signs?

The answer is yes, according to Gordon, who said that while pedestrians have the right of way, the stop sign on the trail intended for all trail users means just that – Stop.

Wow.

This article really spends a lot of time covering how much trail users need to follow the law and how it applies to them; even though their only examples of accidents are these.

There were two vehicle accidents last January in Falls Church related to the 45-mile W&OD trail. One involved a pedestrian and a vehicle on Jan. 11 at West Street, resulting in the driver being charged with reckless driving. On Jan. 18, there was an accident involving four cars that had yielded to pedestrians at Great Falls Street

Both of which sound like bad driving, but that doesn't keep Cynthia Fawsett of McLean from noting that

drivers who know the state law are not the problem, and it’s unnecessary to remind them to yield to pedestrians via signage at every intersection.

What about drivers who don't know the law? For that matter why do we need any signs. Drivers who know the law don't need them and drivers who don't know the law....don't exist?

Comments

[TurbineBlade]

Unbelievable. All of it. I can count on one hand the number of times I've had cars actually yield to me while waiting at a crosswalk, and probably less than 30% of cars will yield to MVT users at the airport access road cross walk.

Honestly, I think there's just very little awareness of the need to always yield to traffic in the crosswalk - not so much arrogance, but just ignorance that anyone other than cars have rights to the road.

That lady you mentioned might be a different case....what a jerk.

[twk]

Interesting how the penalty for sealing yield to pedestrian signs is so much greater than killing a pedestrian.

[twk]

Above should have been "stealing" not "sealing". I haven't had my caffeine yet.

[washcycle]

twk, I thought the same thing.

Turbineblade, when I walk my dog to Congressional Cemetery at rush hour I have to go across Potomac Avenue SE. There is a constant stream of cars heading north on Potomac Avenue SE from 17th to 19th, using this a cut-through from the SE Freeway to the Anacostia Freeway. [Either a no-right-turn-on-red sign needs to be added at 17th or a Hawk light needs to be added to cross Potomac at the Cemetery entrance - which doubles as a dog park, and thus gets a lot of pedestrian traffic, especially after work, when the road is busiest.] Anyway, on average I have to wait for about 15 cars before one will slow down and let me cross. Note: if we bring Washtricycle with us, that number drops in half.

[vacyclist]

It's worth noting that Virginia law is more car friendly than DC or MD. In DC and MD, cars have to yield to peds in crosswalks. In VA, the same is true, but there is a qualifier that peds may not enter a crosswalk without regard for oncoming traffic. Thus, whether or not there is a stop sign, runners and bikers about to enter a crosswalk do have to yield to oncoming traffic.

[washcycle]

Yes, but the way I read this is that even if you're walking up to the intersection and can see that it's safe. You still have to come to a complete stop (however that's defined for pedestrians) before proceeding. Of course, that is what my Mom taught me.

[Ron Alford]

Maybe it's like the foot-on-ground "rule" for cyclists. As long as the ped has at least one foot on the ground...

[Michael H.]

Cars frequently try to force their way through a crosswalk, in D.C., in Virginia and probably elsewhere too, even when the car is turning into that road and the pedestrian has the green light, as well as the right of way.

It's not just a matter of car drivers getting frustrated with having to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks. Some drivers get frustrated that they have to yield to anyone, even if the car driver has a red light. Some impatient, aggressive and yes, crazy, people out there. I've encountered cars trying to get through crosswalks when they have a red light at least a couple times a month downtown.

[Contrarian]

Reading the comments in the linked article I'm encouraged that many people seem to be in favor of putting stop signs on the road. That would solve the problem of ambiguity. The treatment of crosswalks is just a massive failure of leadership from our politicians.

vacyclist -- both DC and MD say that pedestrians cannot enter a crosswalk when it is not possible for traffic to yield. Note that this conditional sort of right-of-way occurs nowhere else in the traffic code.