In front of Sykes Union, there is a pedestrian cross-walk for convenience for people to be able to get across the street safely. What a concept to have a state law that mandates that drivers stop for people to cross the street. Actually, it would be a better concept if all drivers stopped, or even slowed down, allowing for people to get from one side of the road to the other.Too many times have I tried to cross the road and had cars speed up or refuse to stop. I’ve seen this happen to other people too and I’ve been with a group of people trying to cross the street when cars didn’t stop. Would it really be worth hitting someone just because the driver didn’t want to stop for anyone?
Some people that I was with, when cars did not stop for us, would defend the driver by saying they just came from a stop sign and don’t want to stop again. It does not matter which direction cars are going, towards the stop sign or coming from a stop sign, they don’t want to stop. Not everyone stops at stops signs, which is another concept.
It’s sad to say that the only place that I cross the street at and feel like it is a possibility that I could get hit by a car is in a pedestrian walkway. The light at High and Rosedale can be a scary light to cross at, although there, the pedestrians have to be the ones on the lookout to see if it’s okay to cross, Where as the drivers in front of Sykes should know to watch for people who want to cross the street.
The pedestrian cross walk is good to have because it’s a common area that walkers and drivers are aware of and pedestrians use frequently. I think it’s better for everyone all around because at that spot on the street, there are not parked cars blocking the view from drivers being able to see people standing in the street looking to cross. It’s harder on drivers to look out for people walking through the parked cars. I realize that some people really do not look, in either direction, before crossing a street, especially on Church Street. Drivers in West Chester have to be careful of careless walkers. Then why are they not as careful to look out for people who are crossing in a designated area?
Ginger Rae Dunbar is a second-year student majoring in English with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at RD655287@wcupa.edu.