Safety first

A concerned citizen stopped me yesterday to ask that we try to do something about the lack of law enforcement on Pine Street’s crosswalks. They had witnessed a 9- or 10-year-old girl walking her bicycle across the street from the Chinese restaurant Monday afternoon. Before she was halfway across the street, a motorist on the same side buzzed behind her. This was done in plain view of a sheriff’s deputy about to pull out onto Pine Street from South Maybell Avenue.

The state statute says that motorist shall stop when the crosswalk is occupied, meaning the entire way across the street, let alone when a child is in the same lane as oncoming traffic.

Now that Rendezvous has begun, this issue is even more important. We hope that people will stop and walk and shop the booths, but when they can’t cross the street safely, I doubt their experience would bring them back in the future. Enforcing these laws is important to public safety, as I can attest with the titanium rod in my leg I received from crossing Pine Street. I would hope that no one has to go through the same experience, but without law enforcement ticketing offenders, all pedestrians remain at risk. n



Tim Lingle, Pinedale Town Counci