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82 year old woman gets ticket for crossing street too slowly

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by A-Train, Apr 11, 2006.

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  1. A-Train

    A-Train Member

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    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060410/ap_on_fe_st/elderly_woman_ticketed

    Woman, 82, Gets Ticket for Slow Crossing

    LOS ANGELES - An 82-year-old woman received a $114 ticket for taking too long to cross a street. Mayvis Coyle said she began shuffling with her cane across Foothill Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley when the light was green, but was unable to make it to the other side before it turned red.

    She said the motorcycle officer who ticketed her on Feb. 15 told her she was obstructing traffic.

    "I think it's completely outrageous," said Coyle, who described herself as a Cherokee medicine woman. "He treated me like a 6-year-old, like I don't know what I'm doing."

    Los Angeles police Sgt. Mike Zaboski of the Valley Traffic Division said police are cracking down on people who improperly cross streets because pedestrian accidents are above normal. He said he could not comment on Coyle's ticket other than to say that it is her word against that of the citing officer, identified only as Officer Kelly.

    "I'd rather not have angry pedestrians," Zaboski said. "But I'd rather have them be alive."

    Others, however, supported Coyle's contention that the light in question doesn't give people enough time to cross the busy, five-lane boulevard.

    "I can go halfway, then the light changes," said Edith Krause, 78, who uses an electric cart because she has difficulty walking.

    On Friday, the light changed too quickly even for high school students to make it across without running. It went from green to red in 20 seconds.

    Councilwoman Wendy Greuel said she has asked transportation officials to figure out how to accommodate elderly people.

    "We should look at those areas with predominantly seniors and accommodate their needs in intersections" she said.

    Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever used a crosswalk in which the signal didn't change as I got halfway across. That's why I usually don't even worry about the signal and just jaywalk. One thing I learned from defensive driving is that a pedestrian ALWAYS has the right of way, no matter how many laws they're breaking. :cool:
     
    #1 A-Train, Apr 11, 2006
  2. boomer83

    boomer83 Member

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    idiotic

    and you are right pedestrians always have the right of way
     
    #2 boomer83, Apr 11, 2006
  3. TracyMcCrazyeye

    TracyMcCrazyeye Member

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    Ouch, $114 ticket! :eek:
     
    #3 TracyMcCrazyeye, Apr 11, 2006
  4. KaiSeR SoZe

    KaiSeR SoZe Member

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    im sorry but the title of this thread is hilarious! :D
     
    #4 KaiSeR SoZe, Apr 11, 2006
  5. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy
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    Officer Kelly also cited Coyle for leaving her left blinker on for an excessive amount of time.
     
    #5 KingCheetah, Apr 11, 2006
  6. Agent27

    Agent27 Member

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    Pedestrians suck.

    I can't tell how many times I should have run somebody over because they were crossing the street and didn't care a car was coming. If I'm crossing the street and I see a car coming I walk fast enough to get out of the way. Some people just basically stop in the street and have a little conversation and force me to stop my car. I started counting how many people I should have run over on a daily basis because they jumped out in front of my car because they had the "right of way". I'm usually around 2-3 people per day. Yes, pedestrians have the right of way but if you're crossing the street, try not to impede traffic if you can help it.

    Regarding the story. Complete BS on the officers part.
     
    #6 Agent27, Apr 11, 2006
  7. meh

    meh Member

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    Odd, when I took defensive driving, I was told that pedestrians only have the right of way at intersections and crosswalks that's marked for pedestrian crossing. I don't believe a driver can be held accountable for someone just jump in front of your car in the middle of the street.

    When I'm the pedestrian, I almost always jog across intersections unless there's literally no traffic. Not out of concern for the cars, but also for my own safety. Walking across red lights when there's traffic is incredibly dangerous, period. Drivers don't key in on pedestrians in general when driving. You look at road signs, other cars, the light, etc.
     
    #7 meh, Apr 12, 2006
  8. IROC it

    IROC it Member

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    Exactly where are the Boy Scouts of America at a time like this? Huh? :rolleyes:
     
    #8 IROC it, Apr 12, 2006
  9. xlr817

    xlr817 Member

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    DEATH RACE 2000 anyone!? ;) Anyway, I think it's silly to ticket an elderly woman $114.00. Already most of these oldies are on a fixed income, & alot of them already spends their money on medications!
     
    #9 xlr817, Apr 12, 2006
  10. Gutter Snipe

    Gutter Snipe Member

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    There's a crosswalk at our golf course that goes across Antoine. Not only do drivers not give pedestrians the right of way, some of them speed up!

    It doesn't help that most of them are already going at 10-15 miles over the 30 mph speed limit.
     
    #10 Gutter Snipe, Apr 12, 2006
  11. A-Train

    A-Train Member

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    http://www.dot.state.tx.us/trafficsafety/road_tips/pedestrians.htm

    Well, I guess I was mistaken. :eek:
     
    #11 A-Train, Apr 12, 2006
  12. Rocketman95

    Rocketman95 Hangout Boy

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    It could've been worse...
     
    #12 Rocketman95, Apr 12, 2006
  13. Agent27

    Agent27 Member

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    Sweet! I'm going to start running some people over.

    Seriously, I think it becomes a problem because "pedestrians have the right of way" has been said so much that people (like me) just assume it to be true.
     
    #13 Agent27, Apr 12, 2006
  14. ima_drummer2k

    ima_drummer2k Member

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    Clearly, this is all JVG's fault.
     
    #14 ima_drummer2k, Apr 12, 2006
  15. Xerobull

    Xerobull ...and I'm all out of bubblegum
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    [​IMG]
     
    #15 Xerobull, Apr 12, 2006
  16. MR. MEOWGI

    MR. MEOWGI Contributing Member

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    #16 MR. MEOWGI, Apr 12, 2006
  17. the futants

    the futants Member

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    is it wrong that i laughed out loud while i was reading that?
     
    #17 the futants, Apr 12, 2006
  18. FrontRowJoe

    FrontRowJoe Member

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    ITA Agent27. Pedestrians suck. I'd love to see anyone try to drive through UT campus and defend pedestrians. Crosswalks? Who cares? Oncoming traffic? Who cares? Bright flashing red-hand DON'T WALK signs? Who cares? They jump right into traffic, and look upset when you almost hit them. Is "look both ways before you cross the street" still being taught in schools? Or they just stand in the middle of the friggin' street playing with their ipods or making a phone call. People, the sidewalks are there for a reason!

    And I'm gonna print this from the TxDot page and keep it in my car:

    • pedestrians must yield to a vehicle on the roadway if crossing the street at a place other than a marked crosswalk or pedestrian tunnel or crossing

    So pedestrians DO NOT always have the right-of-way. Mwa-ha-ha-ha!
     
    #18 FrontRowJoe, Apr 12, 2006
  19. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Member

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    Go ahead and show that to the cop while he's ducking your head into the back of his patrol car.
     
    #19 JuanValdez, Apr 12, 2006
  20. TMac640

    TMac640 Contributing Member

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    old people are funny.

    good thing we took away their rights in 1992.
     
    #20 TMac640, Apr 12, 2006
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