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SCHENECTADY
Follow rules to keep walkers safe
BY STEVEN COOK Gazette Reporter

    A family walk to get some ice cream early last month turned into a nightmare when the mother and six of the family’s seven children were hit by a pickup truck as they crossed State Street.
    The accident highlighted the plight of pedestrians: Whether in the right or the wrong, they are no match for vehicles.
    Local walking and biking advocates continue to try to educate drivers to watch out for pedestrians and bicyclists.
    “You can be right and you can be dead right,” local advocate Jared Wells of Niskayuna said. “You always have to be conscious of the fact that they win.”
    Wells is co-chair of his town’s safe routes committee, advocating for walking and biking safety.
    Schenectady’s Anderson family survived the Dec. 3 ordeal with a lot of broken bones and a lot of help from the community. Ten-year-old Lynn Anderson, the worst injured, was expected to have a long road to recovery.
    Despite that horrific accident, Schenectady numbers show that the number of car-pedestrian accidents in 2008 fell slightly from the year before.
    In 2008, there were 60 car-pedestrian accidents, down from 66 in 2007, police spokesman Sgt. Eric Clifford said.
    Nationwide, pedestrian fatalities have been on a steady decline for the past decade, from 5,391 in 1997 to 4,654 in 2007.
    And with some added knowledge for drivers and pedestrians, officials hope that decline will continue.
SAFE PLACES TO CROSS
    In the Anderson accident, the driver was not cited; the cause was determined to be pedestrian error. The family crossed State Street near Chestnut Street, not in a crosswalk.
    On that stretch of State Street, from Nott Terrace to Brandywine Avenue, there are no painted crosswalks, according to a drive of the stretch last month. There are, however, several traffic lights and two visible pedestrian-activated buttons, one at Hulett Street and one at Steuben Street.
    Further up on State Street, past Brandywine Avenue, there are several painted crosswalks, the result of a $4.5 million reconstruction project finished in 2004.
    John Coluccio, the city’s supervisor of signal control, said last week that painted crosswalks are maintained typically at intersections with high pedestrian volumes.
    He pointed to state traffic control device code, which provides for painted crosswalks where there is substantial pedestrian movement but also in situations to point out the proper place for pedestrians to cross.
    “If we had requests from the police department or other organizations, we would evaluate it,” Coluccio said.
    But there are many situations where crosswalks are not actually painted.
RULES APPLY TO ALL
    State traffic law provides for those situations. Drivers must yield to pedestrians if the pedestrian is in a crosswalk or there is potential danger to the pedestrian.
    When there is no crosswalk, sign or signal at mid-block locations, pedestrians must yield to all vehicles, according to the Governor’s Traffi c Safety Committee.
    Schenectady’s Clifford said pedestrians should cross at intersections or crosswalks.
    “Intersections are always the best,” he said.
    Places like State Street need all the more care, Clifford said: “You’re pretty much crossing a four-lane roadway.”
    Pedestrians are also required to use the sidewalk, if one is available. This time of year, if it is impossible to use the sidewalk because it is filled with snow, pedestrians should walk facing traffic, he said.
FOSTERING GOOD HABITS
    These are rules that schools try to impress upon children.
    Schenectady schools hold regular assemblies reminding children of the rules. Reminders are sent out in school newsletters and given to parents at meetings, schools spokeswoman Karen Corona said.
    Students should look for crossing guards and cross only at corners or marked crosswalks, she said. They should walk and not run.
    “There’s more of an emphasis with elementary school children,” she said. “They’re constantly reminding them of walking and crossing tips.”
    Parents should know their children’s route and walk it with them at least once, she said.
    In Niskayuna, advocates have had some success in making walking and biking safer. Painting and signs on River Road remind drivers to watch out for people crossing.
    A Walking School Bus program has.........................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar00901