Crosswalk confusion

I was walking down Clarendon Street in Boston earlier this week with a friend. It was rush hour, and we were looking forward to having drinks at a new-to-us restaurant near Back Bay Station. Because there was heavy traffic, we did not pull the classic Boston jaywalking maneuver of just crossing when there's a break in traffic, but instead walked up to the crosswalk in front of what used to be the Hard Rock Cafe.

This crosswalk is faded, but clearly visible, but when we stepped into it, the car that was approaching did not slow, initially, and when he finally did, it was in a big huff with a lot of arm waving. My companion and I gave in to the temptation to yell, "It's a crosswalk!" to which the driver stuck his head out the window and said, "That's not a crosswalk!"

Now, I'm not writing this up to say I'm right and he's wrong (even though I'm right and he's wrong), but to point out one of the problems of faded crosswalks and other unclear traffic signs and signals: confusion is bad. When there's a conflict between cars and pedestrians, especially, the pedestrian always loses, no matter what the law says. The driver of this vehicle thought that the faded crosswalk indicated that it was no longer in effect, or at least thought that was a good argument to yell at a couple of pedestrians as they crossed in front of his car. If he was right about that, then we, as pedestrians, have been put at risk due to misleading infrastructure. That's bad for everyone.

So what do you do in a situation like this? Go to WalkBoston's advocacy page and download the "Reporting Form" (or download it directly by clicking here). Fill it out (which will probably involve a call to the relevant city hall to identify the person you should contact, or, if you prefer, a call to WalkBoston where one of us will find out for you) with as much detail as possible, and send it to the city. We'd also love for you to send a copy to us so we can help with followup and tracking.

Let's make walking better!

WalkBoston in the Globe

Hey, check it out! WalkBoston's Executive Director, Wendy Landman, was featured in the Boston Globe in Feet give the best, cheapest mileage yesterday!

Help Pass House Bill 4635

Please take action to help pass House Bill 4635, An Act Relative to Speed Limits. This bill would lower the prevailing speed limit from 30 to 25 mph on local roads in urbanized areas across Massachusetts. The text of the bill is provided at the bottom of this email.

With the escalation of gasoline prices and the emphasis on walking for good health more and more pedestrians are using their feet for transportation. When pedestrians, especially children and older people, are walking along the sidewalk or along the edge of the road when no sidewalk is available, the speed of passing traffic is important for maintaining safety. The difference of 5mph in the speed of passing cars is often the difference between a fatality or serious injury and a narrow escape.

The Massachusetts Highway Department, state legislators, local transportation officials, and community activists worked together to develop this legislation and have indicated their support for the changes in Chapter 90. We are hopeful that after many years of effort, 2008 will be the year that this important pedestrian safety measure becomes law.

Please call or write to your Representative and ask them to urge Representative Robert DeLeo, the Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, to act favorably on this bill. To look up your local representative, go to http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php.