‘Don’t Walk’ Signs Don’t Count Once You Have Started to Cross

Dear Street Smart:

Why are the pedestrian walk lights set such that they start blinking “Don’t Walk” when the pedestrian is only halfway across the street? At their present setting, they should be called “Run” lights since that is what one has to do to make it across the street on time.

Clifford L. Bundy Costa Mesa Yours is a common question and one raised so often that it is included in an excellent city of Anaheim brochure that explains how pedestrian signals operate. The light changes as a warning for pedestrians about to cross the street, not for those already in the crosswalk.

Pedestrians about to the cross the street won’t have enough time to make it from curb to curb if they start crossing when the “Don’t Walk” sign is flashing or steadily lit. However, those already in the street should have plenty of time to make it across.

By no means are pedestrians already in the street expected to start running when “Don’t Walk” first appears. However, pedestrians should no longer be crossing when the sign changes from flashing to steady.

By the way, pushing the “Walk” button is what guarantees a pedestrian enough time to cross safely. When the button is pushed, the signal knows to let the next green light last longer, to accommodate pedestrians.

Pushing the “Walk” button will not instantly change a red light to green, as some people believe. During rush hours, a signal will follow its timed pattern of red and green lights. Usually, only during off-peak periods will pushing the “Walk” button bring a more rapid response.

Some people also mistakenly believe that pushing the button several times or holding it in will make the green light appear more quickly. In fact, Anaheim had one “Walk” button near Disneyland break because of this, a very rare occurrence.

“It was pressed so many times that it actually wore out,” said Michaelyn Jones, a city engineering aide.

Dear Street Smart:

My children and I were walking down the sidewalk when we came to a pickup truck driver who was blocking the way. The driver was waiting for traffic to clear so that he could exit a bank’s parking lot. As we approached, the driver put his truck into reverse so that we could pass on the sidewalk, whereupon he struck the spikes of a tire damage device.

The fact that he should suffer two completely ruined tires for a reflex act of consideration really seems unfair. Is the placement of that device legal? Shouldn’t the bank pay for his damages?

C. Barnett Corona del Mar No one that Street Smart talked with in Orange County could say what would happen if that type of case went to court. Tire-puncture devices are legal, and their placement on private property is largely unregulated, it appears.

“I don’t know of any guidelines of where you should or shouldn’t install them to make certain people should have room,” said Rich Edmonston, Newport Beach’s traffic engineer.

Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Irvine and the county all had similar answers to Street Smart’s quick phone survey. No one knew of regulations requiring that the devices be set a certain distance back from the road.

On the upside, the lack of regulations is a pretty good indication that you witnessed a rare event. Most officials were surprised to hear something like that happened (and all felt sympathy for the driver).

If it happened more often, there is a good bet that regulations would be prolific. For example, some cities may ask that gates to parking lots be set back a certain distance from city streets. That’s because traffic sometimes backs up and causes a traffic hazard.

One can only guess what would happen if what you saw was tried in court. The court might decide the bank should have allowed more clearance, if cars routinely were blocking the sidewalk because of heavy traffic on the street. The court might also find that the driver should have been more aware of his actions.

Dear Street Smart:

Do you know when a traffic light is scheduled to be installed at the Weir Canyon off-ramp of the westbound Riverside Freeway in Anaheim Hills? At times, particularly at night, it is dangerous to make a left turn from this off-ramp.

Jolyne Oblonsky Anaheim The city of Anaheim is working with Caltrans to get signals installed at both the eastbound and westbound off-ramps. “It’s one of our top priorities,” said Steve Cyra, an associate traffic engineer with the city.

If all goes well, construction will begin next summer on the lights, with completion scheduled by next October. The dates are subject to change, depending on how the design work goes, Cyra said.