By Arthur Moore
How many times as kids growing up in Somerville did our mother’s say look both ways before crossing the street.
I guess this is no longer the case by what I am seeing here these last few years and getting worse by the day. Going daily by where the community paths cross the streets this old slogan is rarely used. Truer of people on some sort of transportation item like bikes or scooters. Even at the slow rate many of us do to be sure not to have a problem it has been hard to avoid people due to the speed at which they come out. The one on Cedar has some blockage which makes it a bit more dangerous. In the few times a day I go by there are some very close calls. And some sadly with babies on their bikes. Have yet to see very many at those spots with the people staring at the phones with no clue if anything is coming or not. At Highland and Cedar I see more of that. And I am sure it is happening in places in the city where I do not normally go by. Let’s pay attention to being safe. Our moms were smarter than what we sometimes think. But those on powered items really have to get into paying attention. One day they may not make it home. But this is something we all have to do in order to play safe. If we had a director of mobility here in Somerville that understands the problem we might have signage and streets designed for safety. We need to design these for everyone and not exclude the seniors and the mobility impaired. But moms had the common sense to make use learn that phrase, “look both ways before crossing the street”
Section 11: Marked crosswalks; yielding right of way to pedestrians; penalty
Section 11. When traffic control signals are not in place or not in operation the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right of way, slowing down or stopping if need be so to yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk marked in accordance with standards established by the department of highways if the pedestrian is on that half of the traveled part of the way on which the vehicle is traveling or if the pedestrian approaches from the opposite half of the traveled part of the way to within 10 feet of that half of the traveled part of the way on which said vehicle is traveling.
No driver of a vehicle shall pass any other vehicle which has stopped at a marked crosswalk to permit a pedestrian to cross, nor shall any such operator enter a marked crosswalk while a pedestrian is crossing or until there is a sufficient space beyond the crosswalk to accommodate the vehicle he is operating, notwithstanding that a traffic control signal may indicate that vehicles may proceed.
Whoever violates any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than $200.
Whenever a pedestrian is injured by a motor vehicle in a marked crosswalk, the department of state police or the municipal police department with jurisdiction of the street, in consultation with department of state police if deemed appropriate, shall conduct an investigation into the cause of the injury and any violation of this section or other law or ordinance and shall issue the appropriate civil or criminal citation or file an application for the appropriate criminal complaint, if any. This section shall not limit the ability of a district attorney or the attorney general to seek an indictment in connection with the operation of a motor vehicle which causes injury or death and which violates this section.