We have a lot of near misses in our community involving pedestrians crossing the street, and as much as everyone wants more crosswalks and signage there need to be a lot of criteria met in order to grant those. Did you know that at unmarked crosswalks you need to yield to pedestrians, and you can get a ticket for not doing so?
Alberta rules say the unmarked crosswalk is the part of a roadway that connects two sidewalks, curbs, or edges of a road at an intersection where that roadway crosses another—think of an invisible line drawn corner to corner straight across the road. Unmarked crosswalks exist at all intersections unless a sign states otherwise.
The pedestrians have the right of way at a crosswalk unless a peace officer or traffic control device directs otherwise. This means that even if the crosswalk is unmarked, vehicles must stop and yield to pedestrians. Drivers should make sure to watch out for the elderly and for people with disabilities who may take more time crossing. Failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk can result in an $810 fine and four demerit points. However, as a pedestrian you are still responsible for exercising due care even though you have the right of way, and you should make sure that all vehicles have yielded before entering the crosswalk (https://www.alberta.ca/pedestrian-safety.aspx).
Thanks for keeping everyone safe.
Click here to the New Brighton Community News home page for the latest New Brighton community updates.
