City plans to push crosswalk safety
Police department plans to step up enforcement to curb violators — both pedestrians and motorists — of state law.
Crosswalk safety has been a topic of conversation during the past two Siloam Springs Board of Directors meetings.
It’s especially been on the mind of director Brad Burns, who referred to the crossing at North Mount Olive and Alpine Street as a “deathtrap” during talks about the city standardizing crosswalk signage early last month. And, at the board’s Feb. 20 meeting, Burns brought it up again during the “directors reports” portion near the end of the meeting.
“I don’t want to be harping about the crosswalks,” said Burns, the representative for Ward 2, which encompasses the downtown area. “But I had an interesting experience Saturday night with drivers not understanding state law when a yellow light is flashing. Down on Mount Olive Street, on my favorite crosswalk in America, as I’ve come to know it now.
“We need to remind people through the city website, through PD, maybe we can do some education when the yellow light is flashing, it’s state law that you yield to pedestrians. That would be nice.”
Arkansas code 27-51-1202 states that motorists must yield the right of way to pedestrians in a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection “by slowing down or stopping,” if necessary. The Siloam Springs Police Department plans to put out a press release and will continue to step up its enforcement efforts, especially at the highest trafficked crosswalks like downtown and around schools, according to Siloam Springs Police Department captain Derek Spicer.
Fines for a motorist not yielding to a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk, such as a push button crosswalk that triggers a flashing yellow light, can cost a violator up to $50. It’s also the same fine for jaywalking, meaning a person
is crossing a roadway somewhere other than a marked crosswalk or intersection.
According to city district court clerk Sandy Luetjen, both jaywalking and not yielding to a pedestrian in a crosswalk “typically” would carry a $25 fine plus another $25 city ordinance fee.
The city plans to push the importance of crosswalk safety through its social media channels.
“The yellow flashing lights are still relatively new to Siloam Springs, so drivers are still getting used to them,” said city communications director Holland Hayden. “I think that especially as weather warms up and as we make changes to make Siloam Springs a more walkable and pedestrian-friendly town, we need to remind people — both walking and driving — to watch for each other.”
The city wants to remind motorists and pedestrians to be especially mindful of crosswalk safety around schools and downtown, especially along North Mount Olive, as well as in front of the Siloam Springs Public Library. With the new library, people now have to park and walk across East Jefferson Street to reach the entrance.
“I do feel safer,” said library clerk Kendra Cooke. “It’s fun pressing the button. I think people pay attention more, now that there’s a button, than they used to wen there wasn’t a flashing light.”
Another point of emphasis for the city will be cutting down on the number of jaywalkers.
“Basically, don’t cross in the middle of the block. You don’t have the right of way,” Hayden said. “At the same time we don’t want people coming to crosswalks and not even looking up from their phones. It happens everywhere. It’s unreal.
“We just want to make sure people are safe. That’s the main thing.”