We thought we’d kick off our series of dangerous places for pedestrians to cross with one that we and our neighbors frequent a lot — Sutherland St and Monroe Ave. Well, I should say we “try” to cross here a lot, get frustrated, and walk to a different crosswalk.
I snapped the picture above yesterday at about 2PM, so traffic was light. Here is the view from the other direction — what drivers coming into the village see (also taken yesterday):
Notice the big beautiful crosswalk? Yep. Drivers don’t notice it either. In spite of the “State Law, Stop for Pedestrians” board in the middle of the road.
It is rare to see a vehicle stop for pedestrians trying to cross Monroe at this intersection. While waiting at the crosswalk on that corner where that white van is one late afternoon, we counted 35 cars go by and not one stopped to let us cross. On numerous occasions, we’ve seen a driver in that middle turning lane yield for a pedestrian only to have the pedestrian nearly hit by a driver coming from the opposite direction, from behind or turning right. Neighbors here make their kids cross at Washington Street to get to the high school. And the pedestrians trying to cross Sutherland get caught between drivers turning right onto Sutherland or onto Monroe.
About 20,000 vehicles pass through this section of Monroe in the village each day. Safe, clearly marked pedestrian crossings on Monroe are a must.
WHY THERE IS A CROSSWALK HERE:
1.) There is a school.
Sutherland High School is just a block up from this intersection.
2.) There is a bus stop on each side of Monroe near this intersection.
Hooray for bus #47. Bus passengers need to be able to get to and from those stops safely.
3.) The next nearest crosswalk in the village is at Washington St.
If you are thinking “that’s about .4 miles down the road; just cross there,” remember that it takes longer to walk than drive.
If you are heading out of the village, you don’t get another crosswalk until Concentrix a half a mile away.
4.) People live around here and should be able to cross the street.
There are 20K+ cars a day that fly down Monroe. No one is jaywalking.
5.) This is a walkable village. (see #4)
WHY IT TAKES COURAGE TO CROSS HERE:
1.) You need chutzpah to be a driver, let alone a pedestrian or cyclist, on Monroe.
There are rarely breaks in traffic. So drivers trying to do anything but go straight on Monroe are not even thinking about pedestrians.
2.) Traffic flow is steady and speedy for a residential street.
I know, I know. You are going to tell me Monroe isn’t a residential street. It’s the road everyone uses to get to Wegmans and the highway. And you are right; it’s a major route through the village. But it’s also a neighborhood. The next time you drive it, look around. It is one of the original village streets and is lined with historic homes that have families and dogs and grandmothers living in them. The neighbors wave to each other and get together for parties. People live there.
2.) You can’t see the crosswalk.
Those lines should be prominent and painted frequently as a minimum. It’s the perfect place for a raised or differentiated crosswalk to provide a better visual signal to drivers that something about the road is changing and to be alert. There isn’t a curb cut on the canal side of the street or any visual cues on either side of the street (other than that giant pedestrian sign in the middle of the road if you are heading into the village) that tell the driver something is different. That crosswalk blends in and, consequently, so do any brave souls waiting to cross the street there.
3.) The corners of the intersection are wide and super rounded.
This makes it too easy for drivers to creep up and speed through the turns. If the curbs were closer to 90 degree angles like they used to be, pedestrians would have a shorter distance to cross and a safer place to stand while waiting. Drivers would have to be more cautious when turning right, wouldn’t be able to cheat the turn and would be forced to pay attention to surroundings.
4.) It’s 3 lanes with too much going on.
Drivers are turning left and right into speeding traffic. While that middle turning lane gives drivers a refuge, it provides the opposite for a pedestrian. 3 drivers have to spontaneously stop for a pedestrian to safety cross (4 if you count the ever-present right turner from Sutherland to Monroe).
5.) There isn’t a culture of stopping for pedestrians in the village.
I am optimistic that the culture is changing. And every time we pedestrians cross a marked intersection, we are helping to remind drivers that there are other users of these streets. But we have a long way to go. I can’t tell you how many times I walk, bike or drive passed this intersection to see this:
Know of a place it takes courage to cross in the village and surrounding areas that you’d like us to feature? Send us an email or leave us a comment below and we’ll write about it!