A Pedestrian in the Crosswalk is a Stop Sign for Motorists December 13, 2002 Jim Moe needs to spend more time as a pedestrian, especially at some of the intersections he mentions. I have stood at these very intersections many times, and seen the never-ending wall of cars as far as the eye can see. By law, a pedestrian in the crosswalk (marked or unmarked) is equivalent to a stop sign for motorists - a stop sign that's almost universally disregarded. I've seen motorists behind a gap in traffic speed up to close the gap. I've seen bullies intimidate pedestrians into retreating back to the curb. To "wait for a break in traffic" means a VERY long wait. Crossing the street often requires aggressively asserting the rights we have by law. The police in La Crosse have done next to nothing to address this problem. After an altercation with a motorist several years ago, the police advised me to "get the license number" of offending motorists. Yet, after going through their laborious complaint process more times than I can count, I have yet to be informed that any of these complaints has resulted in a citation. Occasionally we get "words" from the police department, but on the streets, things keep getting worse. Traffic is faster and heavier (both in volume and in vehicle size), and the bullies are more aggressive. Nothing will change until motorists start getting A LOT of citations, which I don't see happening. The law demands that motorists stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk because most motorists (including, apparently, Mr. Moe) lack the "courtesy and respect" to yield to the more vulnerable users of our streets. Using these words to justify breaking the law, and then to imply that motorists' time is more valuable than pedestrians', is obscene and arrogant.

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