A tipster photographs a mixed message for pedestrians at the always exciting Watchung Plaza crossing in Montclair.

Liz George is the publisher of Montclair Local. liz@montclairlocal.news

15 replies on “To Walk or Not To Walk?”

  3. Plus I don’t think any of those vehicles in that video could go any faster than 25 mph. Not like the 400 hp SUVs and trucks we have here in the US.

  4. mesmerizing.
    I’ll bet they wouldn’t need $1,000,000 + in automatic sidewalk gates to keep from walking in front of a train.

  5. the sign in the middle of the road might as well be removed. those things are useless to too many rude drivers.
    want to see more of this hilarity in action? go to grove/oxford street @ rush hour. people going to/from the walnut st train station routinely escape with their lives.
    I saw a man & his little girl trying to cross and some slob in an SUV–ON THE PHONE–had to jam his brakes on to avoid them, then honked at them. I only wish I could have pulled him out of the car.
    The cops should put a car there AND one at the watchung crossing if they want to make some good ticket revenue.

  7. My interpretation of that sign has always been, ‘Watch out for pedestrians. Cars must yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks.” All elements of that interpretation are marked on the sign.
    I don’t think that sign means “Pedestrians should cross here.” or “Pedestrians can cross anywhere they damn well please.”

  9. Thanks appletony for the reminder. I would add though that just because you can cross (legally) doesn’t mean you should. A little common sense should tell you it’s a BAD idea to try to cross the street 30 feet from where cars are turning and therefore MAY NOT SEE YOU in time to avoid running you over. Cell phones are still a problem.

  10. I can understand yielding to pedestrians at crosswalks or at intersections where there are no crosswalks, but isn’t a pedestrain crossing in the middle of the street considered jay walking anymore? (and in that case, aren’t they crossing at their own risk?)

  11. Let’s combine this discussion with that of the “beautiful” and very practical bluestone sidewalks. Should people with infants in baby carriages walk in the street on Grove? Must they walk in the street on Grove? Is Montclair full of country paths? Must people drive 60 mph down Park St.? Must joggers and bicyclists run/ride 6 abreast past the center divider? Woe is me; can’t walk, can’t drive, can’t ride my bike. Oh s_it it’s winter anyway.

  12. The spot photographed is where I was hit by a POLICE CAR many years ago.
    In fact, the cop didn’t even realize he hit me (the cruiser clipped my backpack, causing me to lose my balance, but not fall), so it kept going.
    I brought a request to the town council to put a light on that corner, but they blew me off. The big item on my councilman’s agenda was to block the Gordonhurst Apartment complex from building a parking lot.

  13. I always carry something i can throw, like a quarter. that usually gets their attention, but not enought for them to stop. They just think it’s their SUV kicking up a rock…….and can we get some footage of ROC’s hummer and his huge ego crossing town?

  14. Once again, if you’ve read and reread the law, then asked some cops about it just to be thorough, it’s clear:
    Everywhere there’s an intersection, there’s a legally protected crosswalk, marked or unmarked. Think of it as the sidewalk just continuing to connect with the sidewalk on the other side.
    There is nothing wrong with crossing the street in the middle of a block, HOWEVER:
    -drivers are not required to stop for you,
    -you must not step out into traffic or in front of a car, causing a hazard, and
    -you must walk straight across, perpendicular to traffic.
    Now, the jackasses who mosey across the street and through intersections diagonally: that’s Jaywalking and it’s illegal, dangerous and stupid.
    On a personal note, I think it’s deliberate avoidance of The Whole Point Here to refer to “cars” and “pedestrians”. Cars do not drive down the street autonomously; similarly, everyone who drives a car is at some point a “pedestrian” and very many “Pedestrians” are at some point drivers as well.

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