Santa Barbara Police Issue 60 Citations in Crosswalk Sting

» lou segal on 02.02.12 @ 09:45 PM

Additional revenue for the city, no doubt.

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» 14noscams on 02.03.12 @ 07:56 AM

The people who got tickets will probably be more aware of pedestrians in the future. SBPD and city hall are definitely more interested in transferring more $$ from the private sector to the public sector than in the safety of SB residents, but I don’t think this was nearly as egregious gouging as DUI checkpoints using cops working OT.
Pedestrians will always be at risk crossing a street with vehicle traffic. No one wants to kill a pedestrian,and there will always be distracted drivers. Old Town Goleta’s crosswalks, with flashing lights triggered by pedestrian crossing are a great idea, but I think we need to emphasize pedestrian defense as well as driver awareness. It’s not helpful to create an illusion of safety. I don’t think any fatalities caused by cops during high-speed vehicle chases have been intentional, for example, but statistics show that innocent bystanders have 4 times the chance of being killed by a cop during a high-speed chase than the chance of a cop being killed on duty.

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» someguyinsb on 02.03.12 @ 09:31 AM

Many drivers dont know they are supposed to stop for pedestrians because many drivers are never taught how to drive in the first place… they just show up at the DMV and get a license…no questions asked.  or in the case of the thousands of illegals, they just drive without regard.

Meanwhile our insurance rates go up and people get hit…

At least they impounded the cars,  or did they?  Dont they have a policy of letting the criminals go free as long as a friend arrives within 30min to take the car? 

I say do this every day…take the cars auction them and keep the money.

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» John Locke on 02.03.12 @ 05:50 PM

Anyone know how many tickets they issued for skateboards and bicycles on State Street in their previous sting?

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» lou segal on 02.03.12 @ 11:21 PM

Youngat85, if what you said is true, then I have been regularly breaking the law.

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» InTheMiddle on 02.04.12 @ 08:21 AM

Maybe some of it is open to interpretation of the event by the ticketing officer, but here is the link to the complete CA Motor Vehicle Code 21950 for Right of Way at Crosswalks: http://www.bestattorney.com/california-motor-vehicle-code/crosswalks-21950.html

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» AN50 on 02.06.12 @ 03:36 PM

Some of you actually get it. This is not about driver awareness but pedestrian awareness. Most pedestrians have the uninformed notion that simply painting a stripe on a road or erecting a sign or having flashing lights can break the laws of physics and stop a 2 ton hurling hunk of metal when they step into its path. Some pedestrians learn the law of inertia the hard way with their life.

To that, yes it is the driver’s responsibility to yield to the pedestrian. It is the driver’s responsibility to obey traffic signs and laws. But what is the responsibility of the pedestrian and how many pedestrians are given a ticket for being obnoxiously stupid when they step off a curb into the path of traffic, even if they have the right of way?

Crosswalks, stop signs and traffic lights are used to control traffic, they absolutely cannot ensure safety. That job belongs to the individual. All the tickets they handed out in this sting will not prevent a failed break system or a distracted driver. They will not prevent an idiot from stepping into the path of a car that cannot stop in time. If our esteemed government cannot figure that out then they will continue to allow the lambs to slaughter.

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