Calling all bike (or pedestrian) commuters

From a story in the SC Sentinel:

Police spokesman Zach Friend said the department receives funding from the state Office of Traffic Safety to run pedestrian safety operations cracking down on drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. The department also addresses jaywalking during these operations.

Friend said that people who want to report these type of issues or to suggest locations for these operations are encouraged to call the department’s Traffic Section at 420-5860. And stepping on the gas is actually a very bad idea, now that I think about it.

Did you get that number?

420-5860

I plan to suggest the intersection of Soquel and Branciforte. Just about every evening I cross Soquel to get to Branciforte. I push the button and wait for the walk light, I often dismount from my bike and walk across the crosswalk, with my bike lights blinking if it’s twilight or later, and still, still, so many drivers act like they’re actually trying to hit me, or at least, like I’m invisible and the crosswalk is too. They like to hunker down right on top of it.

Anyone else know of trouble spots that should be reported?

One Response to “Calling all bike (or pedestrian) commuters”

  1. Jessi

    I just called and spoke to a traffic officer. He was very aware of the problems at that intersection and says he writes lots of tickets, though it’s never enough. He says the drivers just say things like “Huh? What?” when he stops them. He even said that “some of us enjoy writing those tickets.”

    So there’s no solution in sight, but it’s nice to have moral support from the traffic department!