The school day has finally come to a close.
Before heading home for the day, you and your friends decide to walk across Central to a Sunnyslope staple: the Orange Food Store.
As you approach the crosswalk, you see the time ticking down.
With 5 seconds left, you see a group hurry to cross.
At 2 seconds, the people who had been hesitating decided to go because “There are already people in the crosswalk anyway.”
The big red hand comes up, but your friends still cross because “Pedestrians have the right of way.”
These are only a few of the numerous excuses for poor behavior I have heard students make, including my own friends.
The first major problem with this is that students are halting traffic.
In a bustling high school community, tons of student drivers and pedestrians interrupt those simply trying to get to the grocery store or home from work, so for us to feel like we deserve to make them wait even longer is an incredibly privileged attitude.
Imagine you’re rushing to get to an appointment, you’ve been waiting patiently at a red light, and when it’s finally your turn to go, a group of teenagers runs across the street, making your commute even longer.
As seen in our “pool lot,” many students are quick to frustration when they are behind the wheel, anxious to leave.
They at least have some room for sympathy though, as they know we are all in the same boat.
So, I would imagine that these drivers, who do not know you at all, are not afraid to lay on the horn or yell profanities at you.
Furthermore, by acting as such a nuisance, students are damaging our reputation of being respectful, thoughtful teenagers.
In addition, most assume that pedestrians always have the right of way- a dangerous mindset to live by.
Of course, drivers will suffer consequences if they hit someone with their car.
However, we also share a responsibility to follow the traffic rules.
The good news for walkers though, is that the solution is easy: wait your turn.
For further assistance on this, please read the law below, which details how to follow pedestrian control signals.
According to Arizona Legislature Title 28 Section 646, these are the control signal laws:
- Walk or a symbol of a walking person. Pedestrians facing the signal may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal and shall be given the right-of-way by the drivers of vehicles.
- Don’t walk or a symbol of an upraised hand. A pedestrian shall not start to cross the roadway in the direction of the signal, but a pedestrian who has partially completed crossing on the walk signal shall proceed to a sidewalk or safety island while the don’t walk signal is showing.
Honestly, I feel lucky to even have a designated control signal.
Try to imagine if we didn’t.
Hundreds of students cross Central daily, whether they are going to Starbucks, Orange, or their car parked in “the neighborhood.”
In fact, the Sunnyslope area experiences so much pedestrian traffic that we were one of the first 20 locations to receive a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) beacon from the City of Phoenix.
These HAWK signals control traffic flow to the advantage of those on foot.
The signal remains off until the walk button on either side of the crosswalk is pushed; then, a light sequence is initiated.
The light operates in a yellow > red > flashing red sequence, informing cars to slow down > come to a stop > stop, then proceed when safe.
This allows pedestrians to cross safely and in a timely manner.
I know it can be frustrating when you just missed the walk countdown, but in the great scheme of things, waiting one extra minute is not a big deal- especially when your safety is on the line.
The repercussions for hitting a pedestrian are serious, but they could never bring back a lost life.
As the common saying goes, “Better late than never.”
I promise people would prefer you to arrive at your destination safely and a few minutes late than to never see you again.
So, please take this as warning to stop jaywalking.
Or will you keep going until it’s too late?
