Police and volunteers warn pedestrians about street smarts

Police and volunteers in bright green shirts roamed the streets of Oakland Wednesday, looking… Police and volunteers in bright green shirts roamed the streets of Oakland Wednesday, looking for pedestrians who were breaking the law.

Steve Cowan, the safety press officer for PennDOT District 11, said that a committee of local law enforcement agencies and community groups decided to try and increase pedestrian safety in the Oakland area. On any given day during the school year, Cowan said that there are 100,000 people and more than 70,000 vehicles passing through the 1.5 square miles that make up Pitt’s campus.

“It’s important for everyone to realize that one bad step in a crosswalk” can lead to an accident, Cowan said.

The committee, comprised of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Oakland Transportation Management Association, city police, Port Authority police, Carlow University police, Pitt police, Carnegie Mellon University police and the Allegheny County Health Department, organized the event, which was meant to educate people on street smarts. The police did not issue citations to pedestrians caught jaywalking, but gave verbal warnings.

“All it takes is one second and you can be killed,” Cowan said.

City police, Pitt police and Port Authority police took the day to give verbal warnings to pedestrians and motorists who were breaking the law. Volunteers from the Health Department distributed leaflets about pedestrian safety to people walking by.

A Port Authority police officer said that the event was meant to “give the public and students more awareness of safety … and alleviate accidents.”

The police targeted pedestrians who jaywalked and crossed during red lights, aggressive drivers who ran red lights and sped, bicyclists who weren’t obeying the law and commercial vehicles that were parked on sidewalks and in crosswalks.

Cowan said that bicycles are considered vehicles in Pennsylvania, and therefore riders must adhere to all Pennsylvania laws that apply to drivers.

Port Authority police officer Walters said that it is illegal for bikes to ride on sidewalks in Oakland, in bus lanes and swerve in and out of traffic. He also said that pedestrians cannot cross the street when crosswalk signals are red.

Cowan said that this was an important event for students “who tend to do things they shouldn’t be doing,” so that they are aware that next time they are caught, the police will hand out citations, which require lawbreakers to pay a fine.

He said that even though police only gave warnings to traffic violators, police will be citing people at the next event they hold for pedestrian safety, which has not yet been scheduled.

“All members dealing with this realize that this is something that we need to continue to focus on,” Cowan said. “It can’t just be a one-time situation.”