City Says 'Public' Is Too Scared To Use New Crosswalk After Car Nearly Hits Pedestrian—But Drivers Say Look Both Ways.

City Says 'Public' Is Too Scared To Use New Crosswalk After Car Nearly Hits Pedestrian—But Drivers Say Look Both Ways.

I was standing right there when Margaret from three doors down almost got flattened by an SUV doing 40 in a 25 zone. The crosswalk they painted last month is supposed to be a "pedestrian safety zone," but the city's acting like someone painted a yellow brick road to Oz. My neighbor's kid almost got clipped yesterday because drivers treat it like a suggestion, not a law.

Now the city's blaming the public—saying we're "too scared to use it." Since when is it our fault for not wanting to dodge a Prius doing a rolling stop? Maybe install some actual speed bumps or a flashing light instead of spending $50,000 on paint and a press release. Common sense says if you build a crosswalk, drivers should actually stop. But no, let's blame the pedestrians for having survival instincts.