For safety's sake, pedestrians are asked to'walk this way'

See note below for facts on how this relatesto the Boston Crash Controversey
 

By Anthony Flint and ThomasC. Palmer Jr.
Boston Globe, November 10,1999

As Mayor Thomas M. Menino unveiled a newpedestrian safety campaign yesterday at the corner of Park and Tremontstreets, the reasons why three people are injured every day in pedestrianaccidents in Boston were visible all around.

A group of two-dozen schoolchildren crossedin front of a bus on Park Street while a ''Don't Walk'' signal blinkedinsistently. Farther down Tremont Street, a jaywalker darted in front ofoncoming traffic, only to reach a set of concrete construction barrierswith signs saying ''sidewalk closed.''

Faced with such transgressions, the mayoris intent on getting people's attention in some unusual ways.

''Feeling run down?'' says one sign tobe placed at the city's 12 most dangerous intersections. ''You will ifyou cross this intersection at the wrong time, buster.''

Another shows a license plate and reads,''Cross this street at the wrong time and get a free tattoo.''

Another sign that workers placed by thePark Street MBTA station on Tremont Street reads, ''Think of the raw power!Stop a dozen massive, speeding vehicles with a single touch,'' urging pedestriansto use the ''Walk'' signal button nearby. And another: ''You don't comewith an airbag. Press the button.''

Some signs are site-specific: a baseballtheme is planned for the area around Fenway Park, and a sign near the BerkleeSchool of Music employs the symbol used on sheet music that tells musiciansto wait for the conductor before playing. ''Wait for the signal,'' thesign says.

The creative signs are part of the mayor's''Walk This Way'' education campaign, with permission from the rock groupAerosmith to use its hit song title. The goal is to urge pedestrians topush buttons for the ''Walk'' signal and to use crosswalks.

Officials from the public health departmentand the city's transportation department said they originally planned acampaign targeted at drivers downtown, warning them that pedestrians havethe right of way in crosswalks where there is no traffic signal, for example.

But the officials studied 12 intersectionsand learned that pedestrians, by and large, are the problem - not waitingfor the ''Walk'' signal, or making a mad dash across busy streets withoutusing the crosswalk only a few steps away.

The campaign was launched jointly by thecity's transportation, public health, and emergency medical services departments,along with the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau. The effort was also helpedby pro bono work from BBK Communications of Newton.

Menino said he hoped the campaign woulduse humor ''to make everyone think more carefully about their own habitsand behavior.''

Barbara Ferrer, deputy director of thepublic health commission, which was brought in because pedestrian accidentswere seen as a public health issue, said the unconventional approach isnecessary because ''behavior change is not easy.''

The 12 locations that have been targetedfor signs are: Copley Square; Massachusetts Avenue and Newbury Street;Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street; Massachusetts Avenue and Clearway;Massachusetts and Columbus avenues; the Boston University bridge at CommonwealthAvenue; Kenmore Square; Blue Hill Avenue and Columbia Road; Blue Hill Avenueand Morton Street; Tremont and Boylston streets; and Park and Tremont streets,where the mayor made the announcement yesterday morning.

City officials say that with about 2 millionpeople living or working in Boston, combined with 11 million visitors tothe city each year, there have been 4,600 pedestrian accidents in the lastfour years, 46 of them fatalities.

Ever since banker WilliamSpring impatiently sprinted across the street against a red light and slammedinto a traffic-law-abiding bike messenger, the Boston Globe has repeatedlyrefused to print anything that would suggest messengers weren’t as dangerousas portrayed. They filled their stories with misleading and unsubstantiatedanecdotes from pedestrians about near misses etc and the media pushed forBoston to pass new anti-messenger laws without studying any facts.

Now enough time has passed for Boston officialsand media to look at other road users probably hoping that no one willremember the facts that were previously denied.

This campaign called “Walk this Way” isaimed at educating pedestrians. “The campaign was launched jointly by thecity's transportation, public health, and emergency medical services departments,along with the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau.” What it does is exoneratebike messenger Jonathon Gladstone by demonstrating that William Spring'sbehavior was reckless and dangerous. 

Whether people will acknowledge it or not,the real catalyst for this campaign is the accident involving Spring andGladstone. They are careful to omit all references to Spring, althoughhis behaviour, is exactly what they’re targeting. The Globe cites as anexample of careless pedestrian behaviour a group of pedestrians that “crossedin front of a bus on Park Street while a ''Don't Walk'' signal blinkedinsistently.” The same kind of “Don’t Walk” signal that blinked insistentlylong before Spring made his mad dash.

Despite the public stance on couriers andthe prejudicial politics, when people went home they were forced to questionthe facts in their own minds. As a result they turned to pedestrian behaviour.The question is will they ever have a campaign like this for cars or thenumber one killer of bike messengers – trucks and buses with their supposedlyprofessional licensed drivers.

Originally “officials from the public healthdepartment and the city's transportation department planned a campaigntargeted at drivers downtown, warning them that pedestrians have the rightof way in crosswalks where there is NO traffic signal.” 

“But the officials studied 12 intersectionsand learned that pedestrians, by and large, are the problem - not waitingfor the ''Walk'' signal, or making a mad dash across busy streets withoutusing the crosswalk only a few steps away.” [They must have followed WilliamSpring around.]

And so we learn that studies aren’t necessarywhen a City contemplates laws that violate the rights of messengers. Theyjust rush them through even when those laws are outside their jurisdiction.But when it comes time for a public education of drivers, well a studymust be done! I suppose they remembered how many of their friends drive.

And isn’t is curious that one of the originalgoals was regarding crosswalks where there were No traffic signals yetthe study involved intersections WITH traffic signals.

The story also mentions “three people areinjured every day in pedestrian accidents in Boston” and “there have been4,600 pedestrian accidents in the last four years, 46 of them fatalities.”What they mean to say is motor vehicle – pedestrian accidents. (These arenot pedestrians crashing in to each other. Virtually all of these accidentsinvolve motor vehicles with no public outcry.)

No word yet on whether the City will beasking for licenses, helmets, insurance and background checks for all pedestrians.

Notice that the City states that pedestrianshave the right of way in “crosswalks where there is No traffic signal,”suggesting that peds don’t always have the right of way at intersectionswhere there ARE traffic signals. In other words they can’t run across thestreet against a red light (unless they have political connections).

That’s a complete contradiction of whatthe Police Commissioner said two years ago and it’s why some radicals arecalling for Police to actually learn the laws they are entrusted to enforce.

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