Man Jailed For Creating Crosswalk, Vows More
Graduate Student Says Intersection Unsafe
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Whitney Stump didn't like watching drivers ignore the stop signs at the intersection outside his home, so he asked the city to paint crosswalks there.
When the city said no, he made one himself. And the city wasn't appreciative.
Stump, a 27-year-old Ball State University graduate student and father, says he was arrested in July on a charge of criminal mischief for creating the crosswalk at the intersection of Dicks and North streets. A police officer then warned him after he went back to touch up the paint in August, and the county prosecutor decided to charge him again.
"If they're not going to provide a safe environment for me and my community, then I believe I have a moral obligation," Stump told 6News' Ray Cortopassi on Wednesday.
Stump said he first asked the city to do the job, thinking crosswalks would get drivers' attentions and make them aware they needed to slow down.
"I called the street and sign department probably a half-dozen times in the course of six months (to) a year," he said.
But the city said painting a crosswalk in a residential area is not necessary unless the intersection is near a school. In Stump's case, the intersection isn't.
So Stump bought some paint and used it to create a crosswalk at one of the intersection's four spokes.
"I used spray paint on the outline, and went to Wal-Mart, where they had a sale on ... white paint and rolled it out," he said.
Stump said he didn't hear about the second charge right away, causing him to miss a court appearance. Because he missed his court date, he spent 10 hours in jail.
The city hasn't covered up the crosswalk. Stump said he intends to paint crosswalks on the intersection's other three spokes.
This guy is on to something.
ReplyDeleteMy mom was born and (as per her request)her ashes were scattered in Muncie. . What a city council to be that ignorant and stubborn to the welfare of it's citizens in this day and age - ignoring their need for crosswalks. And power to Mr. Stump for his clear thinking and consciencious action.
ReplyDeleteThere are 10 bus stops on the east side of North Coast Hwy 101. Only 2of them have crosswalks near by and those are at a stop sign and a traffic signal. Which directions to and from each bus stop does NCTD and the city of Encinitas expect pedestrians to go? North/South or East/West? Duh.
With the advent of crosswalks (as in downtown Del Mar) the speed limit may be lowered to 30 mph or less.
The addition of just a few crosswalks (not stop signs)is cause to lower the speed limit on North Coast Hwy 101. Thank you City Manager Phil Cotton for that information.
Sometimes civil disobedience is the only way to get the government's attention. The residents of Devonshire have asked the City Council for traffic calming measures for over 9 years and still nothing. We have put up signs, paid for out of our own pockets, for speed limits signs. We submitted a petition for speed humps (not bumps) that met the City's criteria, signed by the resquisite number of residents, including all the neighboring streets. And what did we get -- a big kiss-off from Guerin, Stocks, Bond and Dalager -- Bond was worried that the City would be sued by people who tore out the underside of their cars while speeding over the humps, Guerin and Stocks said we just had to wait until Scripps expanded because they would have to put in traffic calming, Dalager just nodded his agreement like a bobble-head. I think I might just paint a "speed hump" in front of my house.
ReplyDeleteAbout 20 years ago I witnessed a young woman being struck and killed in a painted crosswalk while crossing a 4 lane street. The woman walked into the crosswalk and the car in the inside lane stopped and waved her past only to be run over by the car in the outside lane whose vision of the woman was screened by the car stopped in the inside lane.
ReplyDeleteCrosswalks seem to work at signals and stop signs but based on my experience can be deadly on a 4 lane street like Coast Hwy. I think it might work if Coast Hwy were only a 2 lane road. Please please research the safety of these things first.
Slow the traffic in Leucadia and BURY THE TRAIN!!!!
ReplyDeleteIn California it is illegal to pass a car stopped for a pedestrian so the driver of the killer car should have been arrested and prosecuted. I have been trying for two years to get this city to put a cross walk on Santa Fe to no avail. The cost is minimal. I even offered to pay for the cost but we have a bunch of arrogant staffers that don't live in our city and aren't about to do any work outside of what is the bare minimum requirements of their job.
ReplyDeletewe should fire all the city staffers and hire people that live in our community and might care what happens.
Fire the staff
ReplyDeleteFire the staff
Fire the staff!!!!
When the Coast 101 Workshops begin, the first recommendation(s) should be; 1 lane each direction, crosswalks with flashing lights (Del Mar), parking on the East side, meandering centerline of street with lushly planted center divider. That's the way you slow traffic and create visual interest in an urban setting. Do these things and Leucadia 101 will come alive as never before.
ReplyDeleteLeftcoast- Take your wanna be DelMAr and stuff it, we don't wanna be like Del Mar- Del Mar Sucks!! They have flowers in their center median, and sidewalks and drainage. That sucks!!! We like weeds and dirt and flooding.
ReplyDeleteThe city saw fit to put speed humps and stop signs at two locations on Crest Dr. that don't even meet the criteria of a controled intersection. I guess because Pam Slater used to live there and she was the mayor of Encinitas it made sense. Don't be so quick to blame staff. A lot of these folks agree with the bloggers.
ReplyDelete