This morning on my way to work (on Penn somewhere past 10th street) a cop crossing the street on foot at an unstriped intersection scolded me for failing to yield, saying that every corner is considered a crosswalk. Anyone know if that's actually true?
It is true.
Section 3542. Right-of-way of pedestrians in crosswalks.
(a) General rule.—When traffic-control signals are not in place or not in operation, the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.
tell that to the asshats in front of our office!
@rsprake - thanks, that's good to know. I'm trying to be a more law-abiding cyclist, and yielding to pedestrians is probably as good a rule to follow as any.
Ryan's right. Also, it's a good idea to take a look at our Bike Commuting 101 guide. That law is pointed out on pg 13.
Yea, it is true, but don't expect any cars to stop when you want to cross the street at an unmarked intersection.
If it is unstriped and you aren't allowed across, there is usually a sign, like at 5th and McKee/Darragh.
Does a T count as an intersection? I'm thinking Greenfield Ave and Haldane. People are always trying to run me down, even when traffic isn't moving
Yes
I wish that cop would tell some drivers the same thing.
or, maybe they could take people's licenses away until they learned the f'n right-of-way rules.
I've stood wtih on foot in the cross walk at Semple and Bates, waiting to cross and had a police car fail to yield to me.
That is a corner with large stripes and a big "Yield to pedestrians in crosswalk" signs in each direction.
I've stood two feet in the cross walk, past where the parking lane is on Greenfield and Lydia St (a 4-way stop sign intersection) and I've had cops blow past me within inches on two occasions. No sirens, no stop at the stop sign.
or, maybe they could take people's licenses away until they learned the f'n right-of-way rules.
Exactly why we should be retested every time we have our license renewed.
I work at 29th and Liberty where there is a giant YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS IN CROSSWALK sign in each direction. I can stand in the middle of Liberty Ave and no one will yield. Been in a few arguments over it. The last one I was pointing to the sign and some dude put down his doughnut long enough to tell me I should be in the painted crosswalk and not the opposite intersection. He didn't know the law.
To be fair, when some intersections are painted with crosswalks and some are not, it makes it easy to assume that pedestrians are supposed to use the painted ones. Of course, since most drivers don't yield for painted crosswalks either, this may be a moot point.
push a fake baby in a stroller and see how fast cars stop - or a real one if you happen to have one.
It's a surprising difference.
WillB, exactly why we should be retested at license renewal! Your point is also what a lot of "vehicular cyclists" think about bike lanes and sharrows.
@sloaps
Didn't a lady get hit carrying a stroller last year in Mt. Washington?
Her name was Lisa Clay Styles, and she was killed by Benjamin T. Cope, who was set free to attend classes at Sewanee University (cost of attendance: $43,418/yr) by Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey A. Manning. There is justice at work for you.
yeah, the lady in mt. lebo... maybe just fake babies, then?
I say, let's put that "castle doctrine" stuff to work for us...
I second what Mick said about Bates and Semple. That intersection should just have stop signs.
