I thought pedestrians had the right of way at every intersection except where there is a don't walk sign or the traffic light in green for the drivers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been reflecting all wrong.

Let me clarify what I meant. In some discussions of street safety, I hear people say "well pedestrians do all kinds of unsafe and illegal things, so fixing driver behavior or implementing Complete Streets designs won't fix everything" While to some degree that is true, I think many people who say that are not clear on what the law actually is - and thinks pedestrians are jaywalking in places where they actually have the right of way. Notably at unmarked crosswalks such as the Va Code establishes.

Yes, this!

People who primarily drive tend to have very poor knowledge about pedestrian and bicycle specific laws. Very troubling.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you please share the statute/regulation you're referring to so I can make sure I fully understand what you're describing? I can't seem to find it.

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-924/

The driver of any vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing such highway:

1. At any clearly marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at the end of any block;

2. At any regular pedestrian crossing included in the prolongation of the lateral boundary lines of the adjacent sidewalk at the end of a block;

3. At any intersection when the driver is approaching on a highway or street where the legal maximum speed does not exceed 35 miles per hour.

That does not mean what you think it means.

I think it does. This is law in NJ as well. This is an unmarked crosswalk.

I think DC as well.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been reflecting all wrong.

Let me clarify what I meant. In some discussions of street safety, I hear people say "well pedestrians do all kinds of unsafe and illegal things, so fixing driver behavior or implementing Complete Streets designs won't fix everything" While to some degree that is true, I think many people who say that are not clear on what the law actually is - and thinks pedestrians are jaywalking in places where they actually have the right of way. Notably at unmarked crosswalks such as the Va Code establishes.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been reflecting all wrong.

Anonymous wrote:When you see 2 solid white lines (without the faded railroad inside lines), that is a crosswalk. It doesn't need the Beatles Abby Road like lines to be considered a crosswalk. Just the two long lines.



When I'm leader of the universe, I would force every person to spend at least one entire year completely carless, so that they have an understand and empathy with pedestrians.

Thats Columbia Pike, isn't it? Where there was recently a severe crash?

Anonymous wrote:When you see 2 solid white lines (without the faded railroad inside lines), that is a crosswalk. It doesn't need the Beatles Abby Road like lines to be considered a crosswalk. Just the two long lines.



When I'm leader of the universe, I would force every person to spend at least one entire year completely carless, so that they have an understand and empathy with pedestrians.

Even if you cannot see any white lines, there is a crosswalk if the crossing is an extension of a sidewalk.

Midblock, where there is no sidewalk, or where the intersecting street has no sidewalk, there must be visible line.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you please share the statute/regulation you're referring to so I can make sure I fully understand what you're describing? I can't seem to find it.

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-924/

The driver of any vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing such highway:

1. At any clearly marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at the end of any block;

2. At any regular pedestrian crossing included in the prolongation of the lateral boundary lines of the adjacent sidewalk at the end of a block;

3. At any intersection when the driver is approaching on a highway or street where the legal maximum speed does not exceed 35 miles per hour.

That does not mean what you think it means.

I think it does. This is law in NJ as well. This is an unmarked crosswalk.

When you see 2 solid white lines (without the faded railroad inside lines), that is a crosswalk. It doesn't need the Beatles Abby Road like lines to be considered a crosswalk. Just the two long lines.



When I'm leader of the universe, I would force every person to spend at least one entire year completely carless, so that they have an understand and empathy with pedestrians.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you please share the statute/regulation you're referring to so I can make sure I fully understand what you're describing? I can't seem to find it.

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-924/

The driver of any vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing such highway:

1. At any clearly marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at the end of any block;

2. At any regular pedestrian crossing included in the prolongation of the lateral boundary lines of the adjacent sidewalk at the end of a block;

3. At any intersection when the driver is approaching on a highway or street where the legal maximum speed does not exceed 35 miles per hour.

That does not mean what you think it means.

https://cooperhurley.com/blog/crosswalk-and-sidewalk-rules-for-pedestrians-in-virginia/


Motor vehicles have a duty to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk, whether the crosswalk is marked or not.


https://www.pwcattorneys.com/pedestrian-personal-injury/

The Virginia Supreme Court has written that the purpose of the Virginia Code section that gives a pedestrian the right-of-way when crossing at “any regular pedestrian crossing included in the prolongation of the lateral boundary lines of the adjacent sidewalk at the end of a block” is “to afford pedestrians crossing at an intersection at the end of a city block a right-of-way over vehicular traffic and to that extent give them some degree of protection from its dangers.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you please share the statute/regulation you're referring to so I can make sure I fully understand what you're describing? I can't seem to find it.

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-924/

The driver of any vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing such highway:

1. At any clearly marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at the end of any block;

2. At any regular pedestrian crossing included in the prolongation of the lateral boundary lines of the adjacent sidewalk at the end of a block;

3. At any intersection when the driver is approaching on a highway or street where the legal maximum speed does not exceed 35 miles per hour.

That does not mean what you think it means.

Anonymous wrote:Would you please share the statute/regulation you're referring to so I can make sure I fully understand what you're describing? I can't seem to find it.

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-924/

The driver of any vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing such highway:

1. At any clearly marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at the end of any block;

2. At any regular pedestrian crossing included in the prolongation of the lateral boundary lines of the adjacent sidewalk at the end of a block;

3. At any intersection when the driver is approaching on a highway or street where the legal maximum speed does not exceed 35 miles per hour.

I’ve been reflecting all wrong.

Would you please share the statute/regulation you're referring to so I can make sure I fully understand what you're describing? I can't seem to find it.

Under Virginia law, wherever two streets intersect at a 4 way, and there is a sidewalk on one of those streets, there is a crosswalk extending the sidewalk to the other side, even if there is no paint indicating a crosswalk. In such locations not only are pedestrians crossing not jaywalking, they have the right of way once they have stepped off the curb. They are NOT crossing outside a crosswalk - they are crossing inside an unmarked crosswalk. (Of course they should not leave the curb in disregard of approaching traffic)

Please yield ROW to peds in that case, and when you reflect on jaywalking, do not consider these as examples of jaywalking.