Survival Guide to Ocean City's Crosswalks

Back in the Dark Ages (of say, like, 2005), the law of momentum ruled at street corners.

Small and fragile things (humans) yielded to heavy and fast-moving things (cars). The rule was simple for pedestrians: Look both ways before crossing the road.

But now that we have a modern new crosswalk law to protect pedestrians, chaos often reigns.

Emboldened by the new measure, many pedestrians show blind faith and cross in front of cars. Ignorant of the new law, many drivers fail to yield to pedestrians.

"A pedestrian has a lot of obligations," Ocean City Police Capt. Steven Ang said. "A lot of people just walk without looking up. That's not the letter of the law. Eye contact is really important. Pedestrians often take more liberties than they should."

At the same time, Ang said Ocean City visitors driving in from many different states may or may not be familiar with New Jersey's crosswalk law and may not stop properly for pedestrians.

It's a frustrating and potentially dangerous mix, so here's our attempt to answer a few questions about the new law.

The law

A new state statute took effect April 1, 2010. It replaced a long-standing and somewhat-vague law that said drivers must "yield" to pedestrians in a crosswalk.

"The driver of a vehicle must stop and stay stopped for a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk, but shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except at crosswalks when the movement of traffic is being regulated by police officers or traffic control signals, or where otherwise prohibited by municipal, county, or State regulation, and except where a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing has been provided, but no pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to yield.

Whenever any vehicle is stopped to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass such stopped vehicle.

Every pedestrian upon a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway."

The penalties

• A two-point violation on driving record
• $200 fine (plus court costs)
• Up to 15 days community service
• Insurance surcharges

Some frequently asked questions

• What about bicyclists in crosswalks? Bicyclists are required to follow the rules of motor vehicles, according to Ang. Motorists do not have to stop for bicyclists waiting in a crosswalk -- unless they're dismounted and pushing their bikes, in which case they're considered pedestrians.
• Can drivers cross an intersection parallel to pedestrians in a crosswalk? Say you're a driver making a long wait to cross all four lanes of West Avenue on a cross street. Traffic stops to allow pedestrians in a crosswalk to proceed. Can you drive beside the pedestrians in the same direction? Yes, Ang said. "That's a perfect time to cross," he said. Just make sure you stop first and make eye contact with the drivers on the main road.
• Do you have to stop at the green stanchions set up a some intersections? Some Ocean City intersections feature lime-green stanchions that mark crosswalks and include the figure of a stop sign. They are reminders of the law only, Ang said. Drivers do not have to stop unless there are pedestrians in the crosswalk.
• What about pedestrians at intersections without crosswalk markings? The law applies at any intersection, Ang said. If the north side of an intersection has crosswalk markings and pedestrians are crossing on the south side, drivers must still stop. 
• What about pedestrians at intersections with traffic lights? Pedestrians have no special rights at intersections regulated by traffic lights, Ang said. They must obey the traffic signals just as cars do, and if the intersection includes a pedestrian signal, they must obey that.

The enforcement

Ang said the Ocean City Police Department Traffic Safety Unit may conduct operations that involve decoys at targeted intersections. He said the patrols are primarily educational and offenders would typically be handed information on the new law.

"It's important for us to be visible and diligent," Ang said of the police department's role in promoting awareness of the new law.

Unintended consequences?

Some shore towns have reported an increase in rear-end collisions related to cars stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks.

"We're not really seeing that," Ang said.

A bigger problem than crosswalks?

"Bicycles are probably the No. 1 offenders," Ang said.

While there may be some confusion over the pedestrian crosswalk law, bicyclists typically flout almost all rules of the road. (They are required to follow the same traffic patterns and rules as cars.)

Ang said there's a concentrated effort this summer to enforce rules that prohibit bicycle riding on sidewalks.

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