Let Pgh know about your commute

[ExPatriatePen]

The city needs to get the volume of buses on Forbes and Fifth avenue down and spread out the bus stops. We don't need a bus stop on every single intersection. And I'm pretty sure the buses are involved in a disproportionate number of accidents and run over a disproportionate number of pedestrians in Oakland. A busway through oakland or a light rail should be the goal. That might also limit the number of cars driving in from the squirrel hill/edgewood swissvale area of the city.

It's usually because people walk right in front of the buses. One bus I ride takes me through Oakland, and honestly I'm surprised more people haven't been hit. They just dart out into traffic and assume cars/buses will stop for them.

If you are referring to cross walk situations, I disagree with you. The pedestrian has the right of way in marked and unmarked crosswalks. In situations were there are operating traffic signals, (especially side streets around oakland), I agree with you, I don't know why people will just walk across the street when there's a red light and traffic coming.

There is a clearly marked cross walk in front of my building that cars never willingly obey. You have to walk out in front of them for them to stop. I might get hit doing this one day, but that would be a nice payday and traffic moves slow enough there that it wouldn't kill me if i got hit. There is also a clearly marked crosswalk near my house that crosses Shady at Bartlett, traffic moves faster there and no cars ever yield to pedestrians there. In general, it's an issue of no one knowing the rules, pedestrians crossing at places outside the cross walk, and drivers not aware that they are obligated to yield to pedestrians in a cross walk.

Is this true in PA? I know in California when A pedestrian steps off the curb in a valid cross walk, all traffic comes to a complete stop. But I thought in PA and most other places, unless it was clearly marked as such, that wasn't the case? Am I wrong?

[Jim]

The city needs to get the volume of buses on Forbes and Fifth avenue down and spread out the bus stops. We don't need a bus stop on every single intersection. And I'm pretty sure the buses are involved in a disproportionate number of accidents and run over a disproportionate number of pedestrians in Oakland. A busway through oakland or a light rail should be the goal. That might also limit the number of cars driving in from the squirrel hill/edgewood swissvale area of the city.

It's usually because people walk right in front of the buses. One bus I ride takes me through Oakland, and honestly I'm surprised more people haven't been hit. They just dart out into traffic and assume cars/buses will stop for them.

If you are referring to cross walk situations, I disagree with you. The pedestrian has the right of way in marked and unmarked crosswalks. In situations were there are operating traffic signals, (especially side streets around oakland), I agree with you, I don't know why people will just walk across the street when there's a red light and traffic coming.

There is a clearly marked cross walk in front of my building that cars never willingly obey. You have to walk out in front of them for them to stop. I might get hit doing this one day, but that would be a nice payday and traffic moves slow enough there that it wouldn't kill me if i got hit. There is also a clearly marked crosswalk near my house that crosses Shady at Bartlett, traffic moves faster there and no cars ever yield to pedestrians there. In general, it's an issue of no one knowing the rules, pedestrians crossing at places outside the cross walk, and drivers not aware that they are obligated to yield to pedestrians in a cross walk.

Is this true in PA? I know in California when A pedestrian steps off the curb in a valid cross walk, all traffic comes to a complete stop. But I thought in PA and most other places, unless it was clearly marked as such, that wasn't the case? Am I wrong?

I am not familiar with the "unmarked crosswalk" law. I do usually stop for people at marked crosswalks. Unmarked... get bent.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

How would you know it's a crosswalk if it isn't marked?

[Troy Loney]

http://www.ncsl.org/research/transporta ... mmary.aspx

This is the PA law

Vehicles must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. Vehicles may not enter an intersection or marked crosswalk unless there is sufficient space on the other side of the intersection to accommodate the vehicle without obstructing other vehicles or pedestrians. Vehicles must yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian in the crosswalk when approaching a stop or yield sign. Pedestrians may not suddenly leave the curb and enter a crosswalk into the path of a moving vehicle that is so close to constitute an immediate hazard. Pedestrians must yield the right-of-way to vehicles when crossing outside of a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. Where traffic control devices are in operation, pedestrians in an urban district may only cross between two adjacent intersections in a marked crosswalk and may only cross an intersection diagonally if authorized by a traffic control device.

[Troy Loney]

How would you know it's a crosswalk if it isn't marked?

An unmarked crosswalk is just an intersection. I'm guessing marked crosswalks are used for heavier foot traffic intersections.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

Where traffic control devices are in operation, pedestrians in an urban district may only cross between two adjacent intersections in a marked crosswalk and may only cross an intersection diagonally if authorized by a traffic control device.

I interpret this as meaning that if there is a traffic light or crosswalk signal installed at the intersection, you can only cross when the signal is green.

[Troy Loney]

Where traffic control devices are in operation, pedestrians in an urban district may only cross between two adjacent intersections in a marked crosswalk and may only cross an intersection diagonally if authorized by a traffic control device.

I interpret this as meaning that if there is a traffic light or crosswalk signal installed at the intersection, you can only cross when the signal is green.

Correct. When there are traffic lights, pedestrians have to follow green light/red light laws. The issue is at intersections with no traffic signals. The pedestrian technically has the right to cross, that's a law that 0 people follow. Pedestrians because they generally don't want to get hit, and cars because they don't think they are obligated to yield.

[dodint]

Living in the country is nice.