43 cited in pedestrian sting

Police cited 43 people in a 90-minute period Tuesday during a multi-agency pedestrian decoy operation, officials said.

[Tom Joyce]

Connect the link of the 710 freeway and that would remove a lot of traffic off South Pasadena Streets thus making it safer for pedestrians to get around. The income from tickets probably helps the city with ways and means funds though.

[duarte mike]

is this fighting crime ??? sad day for so pas

[South Pasadena Resident]

"The intersection was targeted because of resident complaints about safety, as well as statistical data showing the intersection to be especially dangerous, Abdalla said."
Here's an idea: Would installing a stop sign at this intersection help slow down the traffic, and thus increase residential safety there? Why would any city official not be proactive in addressing the problem, especially as it is general(?) knowledge that this intersection is "dangerous"? Is there an affirmative duty to make this a safer intersection, else possibly be sued by someone who gets injured there, or by their family (read: survivors).
There's another terrible intersection located at Marengo Ave. and I believe Rollin St.(in front of Marengo Elementary School). After dropping off my daughter at the Middle School (east bound), I come to this intersection and it is horrible to get through; and, the crosswalk lady tries to get kids across the street at this very same intersection WITHOUT a stop sign/light.
Come on So. Pas. It's time to get proactive about public safety, and not merely sit back idly while being cognizant of a safety hazard in our fine city.

[Darryl Geurckgologo]

Thanks for the non-sequitur, Tom. Why not say "outlaw the automobile, and there would be no need to enforce traffic laws?" The lack of a freeway through South Pasadena has nothing to do with motorists flouting the law.

[Francine Pleh]

duarte mike wrote:

is this fighting crime ??? sad day for so pas

What is so "sad?" Do you believe that people should be allowed to violate the law with impunity? Or do are you suggesting that simply issuing tickets isn't aggressive enough to constitute "fighting crime?" I guess the police could summarily execute the lawbreakers, right there, on the street. Maybe that would impress you.

[Rick W]

At a time when the state of California is facing multi-billion dollar deficiets and is considering laying off police, firefighters, teachers, and allowing convicted criminals to be early released to help balance the books, a multi-agency police sting operation is conducted to snare drivers not allowing people in crosswalks to cross the street. Is this really a high priority? There must be some real crimes that need to be investigated with all the spare time the police must have. Must have run out of hookers to conduct multi-agency stings on.

[BOB2]

Wow, we killed over 5,000 pedestrians last year and injured tens of thousands more. Up to 2/3 of crosswalk victims are old and young. And, some of these idiots wouldn't want to enforce the crosswalk safety law? Murder is good, if you do it in a car?

Are these the same idiots I see driving on cell phones (worse than drugs or alcohol???) who also kill thousands of people because they're too cool to hang up and drive? I say that if you are talking on the cell phone while driving and you cause a death, you should be sentenced to prison for manslaughter, then maybe some of these idiots would get it? Hang up and drive safely!

[Anonymous]

I would be surprised if most citizens are ever touched by the "real crime" that Rick W describes. On the other hand, these residents were interacting daily with illegal activity that could have resulted in serious injury or death. When does a violation rise to the level a "real crime"? Is a neighborhood in which the residents hunker down in the homes for fear of being shot, all that different from one in which the residents are afraid to cross the street for fear of being run down? I don't think the families will grieve any less after a family member is killed by a car.

[GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY]

Dont these parmilitary organizations have anything better to do then entrap motorist and hitting them with a fine costing a couple of hundred dollars.

[Don Claxton]

Rick W wrote:

At a time when the state of California is facing multi-billion dollar deficiets and is considering laying off police, firefighters, teachers, and allowing convicted criminals to be early released to help balance the books, a multi-agency police sting operation is conducted to snare drivers not allowing people in crosswalks to cross the street. Is this really a high priority? There must be some real crimes that need to be investigated with all the spare time the police must have. Must have run out of hookers to conduct multi-agency stings on.

Rick W: Your signature states that you are from Baltimore, MD. As a recent ABCNews story reports, "In Baltimore City as well as the 5 surrounding counties, 24 pedestrians have been killed in crosswalks since 2001. More than 1,500 additional people have been injured in crosswalks in that time."

http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx...

My opinion -- and it's only an opinion -- is that the grieving families of those 24 pedestrians who were killed in Baltimore's crosswalks in the past 7 years might see this as a "high priority." Some people obviously have different priorities.

[PASADENA RESIDENT]

Pasadena Police should try that at Villa and Hamilton around 3:10-when the kids get out,they would get plenty!!!!

[Come on]

Just install stop signs.

[Just Sayin]

The law says whenever a pedestrian sets foot in the crosswalk, even on the other side of the street, even on a divided street with a concrete center median, you gotta stop.
Ok... try to do in California. You'd get the bird, cause a rear end collision from people behind you, snarl traffic. Then there are walkers who don't wanna cross.

[Just Sayin]

Darryl Geurckgologo wrote:

The lack of a freeway through South Pasadena has nothing to do with motorists flouting the law.

I agree with Dan. The lack of the 710 creates surface street congestion and short tempers.

I know y'all in SoPas don't want the 710. I hope you don't use any freeway, because it is a little hypocritical to enjoy the freeway at the cost of other cities, when SoPas doesn't want to kick in when the plate comes around.

Just Sayin....

[Manning]

If drivers would pay attention at crosswalks, these stings wouldn't need to exist. Yesterday, I was almost hit twice crossing an intersection (Orange Grove and First) in Burbank. I stopped midway through the lighted crosswalk, because a car turning right cut me off, and as I stepped forward another car passed so close in front of me that I could see the white buttons on the guy's shirt, and he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. I drive and try to be very careful at crosswalks. I've seen people hit by cars. It isn't pretty. I've seen a 3-year-old boy after he went through a tire well and was spit out onto Melrose Avenue. It's haunting. Slow down, wait for the pedestrian, and stop being angry with the police. They wouldn't do stings if we didn't give them reasons to do them.