Pedestrian Decoy Educates Drivers
Borough of Fanwood
Fanwood Police were out at Martine and Trenton Avenues on August 18th, doing another pedestrian decoy detail to educate drivers about the NJ crosswalk law.
Sgt. Phil Ugone was the decoy, attempting to cross Martine Avenue in the crosswalk while vehicles either obeyed the law and stopped, or ignored the law and cruised through without even slowing down. Officers down the road pulled over violators and handed them a pamphlet reminding them of the law which requires cars to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk and remain stopped until they are all the way across the street. A total of 155 vehicles were stopped including quite a few tractor-trailers and commercial vehicles. No tickets were issued…this time.
The crosswalk at Martine and Trenton is a walking route for children and parents going to McGinn Elementary during the school year. There is a crossing guard there during school hours. The rest of the time, pedestrians using the crosswalk must be aware of traffic and, as demonstrated today, those drivers who ignore the crosswalk law.
A similar decoy detail occurred in June of this year on Midway Avenue, resulting in 89 stops. The program is partially paid for by a grant administered by Triple-A.
Photos by Tom Kranz
