Borough eyes jaywalking

Pedestrians are in a hurry and want to cross the street. Vehicles are in a hurry and do not want to wait for pedestrians. The problem: Who has the right of way?

Maria Talero (graduate-philosophy) said she often sees near-accidents between motorists and pedestrians in downtown State College.

"I bike and drive and walk," Talero said, "And no matter what I am doing, I feel I have to keep a look out for people who are thoughtless."

Often pedestrians think they have the right of way, but State College police officer Joe Zaffuto said the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code states otherwise. He said he once cited a pedestrian who was walking down the center of Beaver Avenue, weaving between cars and forcing traffic to stop.

"The old saying pedestrians always have the right of way -- that's not always true," he said.

These types of extreme incidents are rare, but they do happen, he said.

Such instances may be considered jaywalking; however, jaywalking is not specifically listed in the vehicle code. There are sections dealing with pedestrians who do not obey traffic signs, pedestrians who walk along highways and pedestrians who do not follow the code when crossing at non-designated intersections, among other rules, Zaffuto said.

He said he can give pedestrians a ticket for not obeying the code. Fines to pedestrians and motorists are about $92.50 total.

Some students who admitted they do not always wait for the traffic signals when they cross the street may be in danger of being fined.

"I know when I'm late for class, I will jump out in front of a car," said Shawn Britton (sophomore-mechanical engineering). "It's just not a safe practice, but I think a lot of kids do it."

Pedestrians are not always required to cross at designated intersections, but when they do not cross at those intersections, pedestrians are required to yield to vehicles, according to the vehicle code.

In addition, the code states that where there are no traffic-control signals, motorists must yield the right of way to pedestrians crossing the street.

Last fall, in an effort to adjust pedestrian and traffic flow, an all-walk phase was implemented at the intersection of Pugh Street and College Avenue, Zaffuto said. This intersection is a test case for the borough -- for about 20 seconds, only pedestrians cross the street and no vehicles are moving straight or turning.

Lee Lowry, director of Public Works for the borough, said he has not noticed any changes in the pedestrian and motorist patterns at the intersection. Lowry said he expects to receive a report from Pennsylvania Department of Transportation engineers sometime in April.

"One-way systems where you have a street that carries one-way traffic is a breeding ground for jaywalking," Lowry said.

Talero said she has seen no improvement in the traffic flow or pedestrian patterns since the change.

However, even though some cars inch forward in anticipation of the green light at the intersection, Britton said he thinks the all-walk phase is an improvement.