StreetsBlog points us to a police sting in Sacramento, this time targeting bad driving behaviors such as not yielding to pedestrians. When I first watched this clip, it seemed a little too good to be true, that dangerous drivers endangering pedestrians would be held accountable, but a plain-clothes officer spent the day walking back and forth across the street to show just how regular such a violation is.
Here’s some info on the sting from StreetsBlog:
Back in April, TV station KCRA filmed a plainclothes Sacramento officer busting motorists who couldn’t be bothered to yield the right of way. Notice how, though they cite the potential amount of the fine, neither the anchor nor the reporter ever intimate that the operation is a money-making scheme? Instead of sticking a mic in a driver’s face for a quick-and-dirty accusation of extortion—a near-must in most any mainstream media story about traffic enforcement—the reporter is completely sympathetic to the pedestrians in harm’s way, and rightly credits the officer for putting his life on the line.”
Earlier this year, I told you about the mid-block pedestrian crossings found throughout Louisville, complete with obnoxious and only semi-effective neon signs. Stepping into such a crosswalk in Louisville can be very dangerous, but could enforcing the pedestrian’s right-of-way help to improve crosswalks of all sorts?
And if you missed it in the news roundup a little while back, be sure to check out another StreetsBlog find on how Chicago is educating its officers and the public about bike safety.
