Those Tricky Crosswalks
I know I’ve talked about this before, but as spring is in the air and all, it seems to bear repeating.
Crosswalks are there for a reason…so pedestrians can use them to safely cross a street.
So why are so many hesitant to use them?
My biggest pet peeve are the ones outside the Cedar Valley SportsPlex in downtown Waterloo. If you’re not familiar with the set up, it’s a large center on the south end of Jefferson Street where many folks go to workout and engage in physical fitness—especially in the morning and afternoons, surrounding the normal work day.
There is a parking lot to the north. There are also crosswalks where you would expect them…at corners of streets adjacent to, and intersecting with, the SportsPlex.
But to make things even safer and more convenient, there are two—count them, two—additional crosswalks, clearly designated on the street with bright paint to separate connect the parking lot with the building. State law says that vehicles must yield to pedestrians in clearly marked crosswalks.
On top of that, to promote safety, each of them has bright warning lights that go off when a pedestrian pushes a button before crossing. They’ve truly thought of everything.
Well, except the fact that folks ignore the crosswalks and take the most direct, shortest path from the doors of the building to their individual vehicle. If 20 percent of the people who make the trek use the crosswalks, I’ll be surprised…and even fewer trigger the alert lights for added safety.
As one who ignores physical fitness, I hate to poke at folks who do take care of themselves. But it leads to the natural-yet-ironic conclusion that if you’re going there for physical fitness, wouldn’t you want to walk the 10 extra steps to get to the crosswalk? Or are you so eager to get started that you take the path as the crow flies to get inside the building, and so exhausted by the workout that you have to drag yourself the shortest distance afterwards?
Kidding aside, it’s the time of year to practice safety first, second and third as folks emerge from winter. Especially near a fitness center.
