"TRAFFIC STING - Cars fail to yield as Deputy Mark Dunkel crosses Avenue I in Lancaster as part of a sting operation involving Lancaster and Palmdale deputies from the Antelope Valley Traffic Task Force." KELLY LACEFIELD/Valley Press
Posted on 10/27/2005 12:03:31 PM PDT by BenLurkin
For 96 drivers, Wednesday could be considered a bad day. That's how many people were issued citations for failing to yield to a pedestrian crossing the street.
The Antelope Valley Traffic Task Force, a joint effort of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Palmdale and Lancaster stations, staked out areas along Palmdale Boulevard and Avenue I to ticket drivers who failed to stop for a pedestrian.
The pedestrian was a plain-clothes deputy, who was watched by eight deputies on motorcycles from the Palmdale and Lancaster stations.
Deputies wrote four additional citations - two for jaywalking and two for speeding.
Sgt. J. Bluff of the Lancaster Sheriff's Station said crosswalk enforcement is vital in Lancaster, which has one of the highest pedestrian accident rates in the state compared to cities of similar size. The pedestrian index, a ranking of vehicle vs. pedestrian incidents, is bad for the city, Bluff said.
"Our pedestrian index and fatality rate up here is not good. In fact, it's gruesome," Bluff said.
"We don't match up favorably to cities our size. We are one of the top in the state (for pedestrian accidents)."
Wednesday was the second joint operation by the task force targeting Palmdale and Lancaster streets. The first Valleywide operation led to 67 citations on July 28.
Bluff said one of the reasons so many citations were issued Wednesday was an ignorance among both pedestrians crossing streets and motorists who failed to let them cross.
"We need to make our pedestrians more aware of the rules and regulations of the roadways, as well as our motorists. There's got to be a mutual respect," Bluff said.
"TRAFFIC STING - Cars fail to yield as Deputy Mark Dunkel crosses Avenue I in Lancaster as part of a sting operation involving Lancaster and Palmdale deputies from the Antelope Valley Traffic Task Force." KELLY LACEFIELD/Valley Press
Looks to me like Deputy Dawg is not in a crosswalk, which means he is jaywalking.
Yep. And they can't keep track of pedophiles, can't spare the resources to control the Illegals in their city and can't afford the costs of going after political corruption/white collar crime. Could it be there isn't enough profit as compared to the revenue soaked from unwitting drivers in the form of pricey tickets?
I suspect most drivers don't even remember that they're supposed to yield for pedestrians. So they don't. Education is needed, although it shouldn't be needed.
Good on 'em. A good revenue raiser for the county, too.
Nine people issue 96 tickets in a whole day. Is that really cost-effective?
How many burglaries, rapes, bank robberies, etc., did they miss?
Bump.
So this guy got run over 96 times in one day?
The problem is and the reason there are so many pedestrian accidents is because pedestrians just step out in front of cars and expect them to go from 30 to 0 immediately.
It's much safer if pedestrians fend for themselves.
"How many burglaries, rapes, bank robberies, etc., did they miss?"
Most criminals aren't so obliging as to tell officers where they plan to commit their crimes, so I doubt they "missed" any.
I don't know what the laws are like in Los Angeles, but in Seattle you have to yield for pedestrians whether they are crossing the street at a crosswalk or jaywalking. It's a BS law, but it is the law. Fortunately, most pedestrians aren't aware of it. If more pedestrians knew the law, you would never be able to drive in Seattle.
The first rule of operating a motor vehicle is to do everything possible not to injure anyone. If you are late to work, T.S., you should have left a few minutes sooner.
I live on a rural road, in the summer there are kids on bikes and scooters, folks riding horses, and old Grannies just trying to cross the road to talk to a neighbor. None of them give a damn about your schedule, or your need for speed thrills.
If you are a Republican, with a big "R", it should mean that you believe in rule by LAW.
I will stop before this becomes a rant, and wait for all the Porsche owners to go bonkers on my case.
You was jaywalking Aunt Bea...Jaywalking.. I saw you.Next time I will give you a citation. - Barney Fife.
In California a crosswalk can have white lines, yellow lines (school crosswalk) or no lines. A crosswalk is an extension of the sidewalk to the opposite side of an intersection or it may be placed in the middle of a block.
9 people issuing 96 tickets assumes that they get $50 a ticket (could be higher) and $4,800 in revenue. They pay out $2,000 a day in labor costs.
Sounds like a money maker to me.
suspect most drivers don't even remember that they're supposed to yield for pedestrians. So they don't. Education is needed, although it shouldn't be needed.
just out of curiousity, how does yield to pedestrians compare to possibly causing accidents? a pedestrian is always right, but do you have to yield if they are going against a crosswalk that says "don't walk" or if they are jaywalking? i suppose it falls into the same category of who gets the ticket in a rear-end accident here; no matter what, the person in back is at fault. even if the person who is hit is breaking the law.
Whatever happened to pedestrians looking both ways?
Good point.
If I were cited in this sting, I'd be taking this photo in with me to court. It suggests this guy just jumps off the curb, where no crosswalk exists. After all, this operation was called: "crosswalk enforcement".
Sgt. J. Bluff of the Lancaster Sheriff's Station said crosswalk enforcement is vital in Lancaster
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