Crosswalk Sign - It's Baaaaack

Woodstock's solitary, lonely crosswalk warning sign is back. A little worse for wear, but it's back. Remember this sign, which was installed last year on Throop Street at Judd Street, just off the Square? It bit the dust (well, err.... snow) after a snowplow and it went head-to-head during the winter.

The sign is back. It's a great sign and in a good location. Drivers see it and, for the most part, respect it. A pedestrian, crossing at an intersection, has the right-of-way, whether or not there is a crosswalk. This may not be the busiest pedestrian crossing in Woodstock, but it's a good location for starters. The sign is visible in both directions on Throop, and drivers actually are stopping for pedestrians.

Could there, or should there, be more of these signs around town? If you have a location in mind where you would like to see a crosswalk sign like like this one, post the location here and email it to pwdept@woodstockil.gov

Is pedestrian safety still taught in elementary schools? A good place for one of these signs would be on Dean Street by Dean Street School. It wouldn't hurt for the cops to sit on Dean Street and ticket the teachers, staff and parents who jaywalk from the parking lot on the east side of Dean Street.

It's no wonder that kids jaywalk and won't walk to a corner. When a mom grabs the kid's hand and drags her across Dean Street while the kid cries, "But, Mom... they teach us to cross at the corner!", Mom needs a ticket.