[nagdu] Crosswalks, the White Cane Law, and Pedestrians in General

[David Baker]

Jewel, the laws vary by state.  In Georgia, for instance, drivers are required
to stop for all pedestrians at all crosswalks (anywhere a street enters or
crosses another street, if there are no markings).  The law is not followed in
practice and one would have to be insane to rely upon it.  I have been known to
whack cars very hard in situations such as yours.  This, however, upsets my wife
terribly.  She is convinced that I am going to have someone jump out of a nice
Ferrari, Lincoln, or ...  and shoot me, or pummel me to a pulp.  (On the other
hand, wisely or not, my roller tip has left some very impressive dents in some
very expensive cars.)  Since some of my generalized anger about having RP has
abated and I still have some central vision left, I now just raise my cane and
point it directly at the driver has he or she whizzes by.  ('Some satisfaction
there, but no where near as cathartic as a good hard whack on the hood.)

David


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Jewel S.
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 12:36 PM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nagdu] Crosswalks, the White Cane Law, and Pedestrians in General

Hi guys,
The conversation about the White Cane Laws prompted a thought in my mind. I know
that pedestrians, especially those with a white cane or guide dog, must be given
the right of way in crosswalks in intersections, and it was my understanding
that anywhere a blind person steps into the road they are to be given the right
of way for their safety. Please correct me if I'm wrong (I know it varies from
state to state; I'm in North Carolina).

Now, my question is, what are the laws for crosswalks in general? Are all
pedestrians given right of way in a crosswalk? What about a crosswalk where
there is no light? For example, in a shopping center in Raleigh, there is a
crosswalk across a street in the shopping area that most people don't use
because cars never give right-of-way to any pedestrians. I decided to give it a
shot yesterday because I needed to quickly get from one bus stop on one side to
the other bus stop on the exact oppposite side. I stuck out my cane, but it was
ignored, of course. I waited until there was a break in traffic, and stepped
out, at my usual pace for crossing, which is slow by normal standards as I don't
walk fast. So as I was walking across, one car, then another, drove directly in
front of me across the crosswalk, with no thought of stopping or even slowing
down. A third car came within a few feet of me. As I was almost across, a car
did stop for me, but I wonder if it was only because I was directly in his path?

What are the laws about these crosswalks in areas with a lot of pedestrians? A
crosswalk with no crosswalk light and/or not at an intersection? What about an
intersection with no crosswalk? Anyone know where to find these laws? I have
some ideas how to get involved in correcting these problems, if my assumption is
correct that the lack of a light does not excus lack of yielding. Is this
correct?

Wondering,
Jewel

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