Sierra Madre PD Cites 40 Motorists in one Afternoon
By Monrovia Weekly
Published: Thursday, May 15th, 2008
Sierra Madre is perhaps the last city in California without a traffic light anywhere within city limits but it does have many pedestrian crosswalks, many of which are ignored by drivers despite the tough state laws and fines for violations.
The Sierra Madre Police dept conducted a sting, of sorts, Wednesday after receiving a series of complaints to alert drivers of the dangers of speeding though a crosswalk when a pedestrian is attempting to cross the street.
O
ur observations during the first two hours found many drivers simply oblivious to the crosswalk, even when a pedestrian was in the middle of the crosswalk. Many drivers were on cell phones, some simply blasting music too loud. We personally witnessed people actually not even looking at the road but attempting to read perhaps text messages on their cellphones or checking their hair in the rearview mirror.
One driver in a Staples delivery truck was sited for not yielding to a pedestrian ( who happened to be a police officer) however his company motto is, ironically, “We Brake for Empty Staplers” One observer quipped, “…too bad they don’t brake for pedestrians!” Another driver in a new BMW simply was not looking and came within inches of hitting the officer as he attempted to cross the street.
Pedestrian safety important concern to the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT). While pedestrian accidents account for 6.7 percent of all traffic– related accidents in the city (1998 data), they account for 42 percent of all traffic– related fatalities. Accordingly, LADOT has developed practices in an attempt to reduce such accidents. The statistics for Sierra Madre ,the Chief of Police, Marilyn Diaz, issued the following:
On Wednesday, May 14, 2008, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. the Sierra Madre Police Department hosted a Pedestrian Decoy Awareness Program at the intersection of Sierra Madre Blvd. and Hermosa Ave. The Department has received many complaints from residents about flagrant crosswalk violations in the downtown area. Four Monterey Park Police Department motor officers and Jan’s Towing assisted the Sierra Madre Police Department in the operation. The emphasis for this event was on driver awareness, education and enforcement.
A total of 2,244 vehicles passed through this intersection during the operation. Officers wrote 42 citations and towed 2 vehicles. The following is a breakdown of the violations issued during the 4-hour period:
31 drivers were cited for Vehicle Code Section (VC) 21950(a) – Driver not Stopping for Pedestrian in a Crosswalk;
2 drivers were cited for V.C. 12500(a) – Unlicensed Driver;7 drivers were cited for V.C. 27315(d)(1) – Driver not Wearing a Seatbelt; 2 drivers were cited for V.C. 27315(e) – Passenger not Wearing a Seatbelt;1 driver was cited for V.C. 26708(a)(1) – Objects Blocking Window;
1 driver was cited for V.C. 12951(a) – Driver not in Possession of Driver License; and
1 driver was cited for V.C. 27007 – Loud Music Heard 50-feet or More from Vehicle.
Drivers face heavy fines, possibly as much as $300 for each violation .
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