Officers from the Carrboro Police Department’s Community Services Division are conducting daily pedestrian decoy operations at various crosswalks in Carrboro this week through Friday.
Plain-clothes police officers in highly visible clothing will enter crosswalks as pedestrians and other officers monitor the crosswalks for violations. The decoy pedestrian will enter the crosswalk when an approaching vehicle in the opposite lane reaches a pre-determined location on the roadway. The pre-determined location is determined by the total stopping distance for a car traveling the speed limit plus 10 miles per hour, ensuring that every driver has ample time to see the pedestrian and safely come to a stop before reaching the crosswalk.
Through the operations, police hope to educate the public, enforce violations and reduce the number of incidents between pedestrians and vehicles in crosswalks. Motorists are encouraged to be mindful of pedestrians in marked crosswalks and at unmarked crosswalks in intersections.
Will you report on how much revenue they bring in through this exercise, and how much of it comes from people who live outside of Carrboro?
Revenue for whom? State citations don’t provide any revenue for municipalities.
So many drivers violate crosswalks laws in Carrboro, I would almost recommend that pedestrians jaywalk rather than expect drivers to stop at crosswalks. I’m happy the police are responding, and I hope the Town of Carrboro can broadly advertise their efforts. It’s a bad situation out there, and if you think otherwise, try crossing at Greensboro and Shelton or even at 605 Main Street. Drivers do not yield for pedestrians, not even for mothers with strollers.
As for the comment regarding revenue, are you serious?? From what I understand, this operation requires four officers, the police department is already stretched with staffing, and the officers are often giving out warnings, attempting to educate. And this does not count the cost of officers’ court time for actual citations. This operation is no source of revenue!