By Sammi Cohen
Rochester is no different than any other city in the U.S. when it comes to pedestrian safety. Pedestrian safety is given a high priority position in Rochester to help protect citizens. The Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP, see below for more information) is an NYS DOT plan to improve pedestrian safety on Long Island and Upstate, which includes some changes in Rochester. What can you do both as a motorist and as a pedestrian to improve pedestrian safety in and around the City of Rochester?
PSAP And What You Need to Know
The PSAP is a $110 million, five-year plan to improve pedestrian safety. The Department of Transportation will be working in identified areas to improve the visibility of crosswalks, improve signaling, add curb extensions, and more.
The goal is to help reduce motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians. Motor vehicle accidents are the most frequent cause of personal injury, totaling about 52% of all personal injury cases. Pedestrians that are hit by motor vehicles and even a motorbike sustain serious injuries about 47% of the time. A combination of this program and driver and pedestrian awareness can improve pedestrian safety in Rochester.
As a Pedestrian Do This
There are ways you can protect yourself as you are walking around Rochester. One of the most common ways to be injured as a pedestrian is to not pay attention to where you are walking. Life is hectic for everyone and we often do not pay attention when we are rushing to our next appointment.
The U.S. is a fast-paced lifestyle. About 31 million people moved in 2019, proving that we are always on the move somewhere. The first order of business as a pedestrian is to slow down a bit and keep aware of your surroundings. More pedestrians are hit by cars because they step in front of a moving vehicle. Yes, you do have the right of way as a pedestrian, but you do have to be responsible and keep an eye on where you are going.
Pay attention to the traffic lights. Walking across the street against a red light is risky behavior, and illegal. When the light is not in your favor, stay still until the signal changes. Always walk on sidewalks when they are available. When sidewalks are not available, stay as far away from traffic as you can. When you have to walk on the side of the road, be sure to walk with oncoming traffic facing you. Pedestrians must yield to traffic if they are not at a crosswalk. If you are crossing mid-block and you are not in a crosswalk area, it is your responsibility to wait for all the traffic to pass.
If you have questions about pedestrian safety in Rochester and how you can do your part, there is a wealth of information online. There are about 900,000 new domains that are registered each week and there is always a way to find the information you need online.
As a Motorist
The real burden of safety for pedestrians in Rochester falls on the driver. As a driver, it can be frustrating when you constantly have to stop for pedestrians that are “jaywalking”. However, you must stop. Rarely if ever, if a driver hits a pedestrian, it is the driver not found at fault. Keep your eyes on the road and allow pedestrians the right of way. Distracted driving even for a few seconds can turn into a very tragic situation. Do not text and drive, do not eat and drive, do not do anything but drive when you are in the driver’s seat.
When you come to a crosswalk, even if the light is green for you, slow it down and prepare to stop if necessary. Pedestrians always have the right of way in a crosswalk and you must yield to them.
Working together we can make Rochester a safer place for both pedestrians and drivers. A little kindness on the road and following the rules can go a long way in reducing risk for everyone.
Tags: Rochester, Rochester NY
This entry was posted
on Monday, January 24th, 2022 at 9:48 am and is filed under Transit + Infrastructure.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.