Edmonton crosswalks dangerous: pedestrians

While the city continues to target jaywalkers with a ticketing blitz, some pedestrians are saying they dont feel much safer between the white lines.

"People are just not paying attention and it's that simple," said Lance Woodward, as he stood on the corner of Jasper Avenue and 114th Street.

"Youll be halfway through an intersection, out10 feet, and someone will go bombing through there. Not even looking."

Others on the street tell tales of impatient drivers and close calls.

According to data from the citys Office of Traffic Safety, just shy of 2,000 pedestrians were hit by vehicles between 2006 and October of 2011.

Of those, over 1,200 were crossing with proper right-of-way, compared to 383 who werent crossing legally.

Another 119 pedestrians were hit while on the sidewalk.

Gerry Shimko, executive director of the Office of Traffic Safety, said that while they do often focus on discouraging jaywalking, theyre also concernedabout accidents that happen in intersections.

They work with police to ticket drivers who dont stopforpedestrians.

But Shimko said even when pedestrians have the right-of-way, the city encourages them to pay attention while stepping on the road.

"Unfortunately, with pedestrians, whether they are right or wrong, they are going to be on the wrong end of any collision."

Shemko said pedestrian safety programs usually start up in the fall, when the days become shorter and pedestrians are harder to see.