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March 28, 2024

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Letter: Understand crosswalk laws

By David W. Meyer, Vancouver
Published: March 23, 2019, 6:00am

Let’s debunk the crosswalk myth. In a letter to the editor (“Stop for pedestrians,” March 20), Jim Bittner misinterpreted the law to support his contention that cars must stop whenever they see a pedestrian waiting to cross the street at a crosswalk.

That is not the law. The rules of the road have always required pedestrians to wait for lawfully moving traffic to pass. The relevant portions of the statute, RCW 46.61.235, state that cars must stop, “when the pedestrian or bicycle is upon or within … the roadway.”

Section 2 of that statute goes on to explain that, “No pedestrian or bicycle shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and … move into the path of a vehicle.” Responsible people teach children to look both ways before crossing. Irresponsible people use social media, including the oldest of social media — letters to editor of general circulation newspapers — to misinform the masses. Read RCW 46.61.235 yourself, and do as you were taught by responsible people.

Yes, cars must stop when a pedestrian is already crossing the road. Duh. No, cars are not required to come to a halt whenever someone might be waiting to cross, but has not yet entered the road.

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