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Cops begin campaign to raise crosswalk awareness

Scott Swanson

Sweet Home police are planning an enforcement drive to encourage local residents to obey the crosswalk laws.

“It’s just that time,” said Police Chief Jeff Lynn. “More and more people are out and about.”

Lunn acknowledged a pedestrian being hit by a car in a crosswalk in front of the Post Office on Long Street earlier this month is additional motivation to act.

“A number of things are coming into play,” he said.

They include an effort to create a Safe Routes to School project focusing on Mountain View Road and 22nd Avenue around Sweet Home Junior High that, if approved by the Oregon Department of Transportation, would include funding for education and possible improvements, such as sidewalks, in the area. Parents and other interested community members are invited to give input at a meeting to be held in the School Board chambers at 1920 Long St. at 6 p.m., prior to the regular school board meeting.

“The Safe Routes to School is a focused approach for each site, but we just want to look at it globally,” Lynn said of his department’s efforts.

The campaign will include at three sting-type operations, one “in the middle of April,” in which pedestrian decoys will cross streets on crosswalks while police officers monitor them, pulling over drivers who don’t obey the law.

“This is more about educating drivers,”he said. “We’re really just trying to raise awareness – of pedestrians as well as drivers.”

He said those operations will be well-publicized, with articles on the department’s Facebook and Web pages, and brochures at the City Hall and library.

“We don’t want to surprise anybody,” Lynn said.

He said the goal is to keep the issue in front of the public for more than a month or two.

“We’re hoping we can roll this out as a program that’s year-long. We’re going to try to continue the education part.”

Lynn said pedestrians need to exercise common sense when crossing a street.

“You can’t just rely on the laws as a pedestrian befause if you’re not seen by a vehicle, there’s nothing you can do about that. When you choose to cross the street, you should use the crosswalk and should be careful crossing. Take a half-step off the curb and make eye contact with the drivers. Don’t just assume everybody’s going to stop.

“The pedestrian is on the losing end of everything. There’s no other way around it.”

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