Astoria police conduct crosswalk enforcement to promote pedestrian safety

Astoria police conducted crosswalk enforcement on Thursday to draw attention to pedestrian safety.

The initiative is funded by Oregon Impact, which promotes safe driving and offers grants to police departments for traffic safety improvements.

Crosswalk

Astoria Police Sgt. Thomas Litwin crosses at a crosswalk near Astoria Middle School on Thursday.

“The overall point is to keep pedestrians safe and to educate drivers,” said Katie Lee, the program coordinator and grant manager with Oregon Impact.

From 8 a.m. to noon, police officers were stationed at Seventh Street and Klaskanine Avenue, Marine Drive and Sixth Street and Marine Drive and 17th Street. Police made 34 traffic stops, 28 for failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.

Five drivers were issued citations. All drivers who were involved in pedestrian-related stops were provided with educational pamphlets on crosswalk and pedestrian laws.

Lee said many drivers are not familiar with the details of pedestrian safety laws, particularly when it comes to remaining stopped before a turn.

If a driver is turning at an intersection with a traffic signal, the pedestrian must be more than 6 feet from the lane the vehicle is turning into before the driver continues. If there is no traffic signal, the pedestrian must be past the lane the vehicle is turning into, as well as the adjacent lane.

“And it’s when a pedestrian shows intent to cross that these laws come into play, so they don’t necessarily have to be in the roadway,” Lee said.

Pedestrian safety has been an issue locally and statewide.

In December, a pedestrian using a crosswalk at Marine and 17th was struck and killed by a vehicle. The Oregon Health Authority reported that pedestrian deaths statewide increased from 70 in 2010 to 137 in 2022.

“In this city, we have had issues with pedestrian crashes for many years,” Astoria Police Chief Stacy Kelly said. “That’s part of the reason we became involved in these grant programs.”

Often, Kelly said, drivers who are stopped for pedestrian-related traffic offenses say they did not see the pedestrian. In a busy area like downtown, it can become difficult to clearly see pedestrians waiting to cross due to parked cars, businesses close to the street and signs.

Deputy Chief Eric Halverson said that sometimes drivers attempt to pass cars stopped for pedestrian crossings.

“They’ll say, ‘Well, there was a car stopped in that lane, and I didn’t see that there was a pedestrian there,’” he said. “That’s why that rule exists, that if a vehicle is stopped at that lane of travel, you’re not supposed to pass that vehicle because there could be a pedestrian in the roadway.

“And that’s one I think people are sometimes unfamiliar with. You know, how many of us went to the DMV and took our test when we were 16 years old? How much of that do folks still remember?”

Though they often have the right of way, pedestrians have a responsibility to be aware of their surroundings in order to protect themselves and others.

“And that’s not putting anything on the pedestrian that’s crossing, it’s just recognizing that somebody’s driving that vehicle that weighs thousands of pounds,” Halverson said. “And you want to be in the best position possible to be seen, just for your personal safety.

“I’ve seen people wave at me when I stop, just to say, ‘Here I am, I know that you see me and now I feel comfortable with crossing.’ So it’s just little things like that that can help make things safer for pedestrians.”