Is ped enforcement campaign "blaming the victim"?
by David Alpert, Greater Greater Washington
District agencies are running a much-needed, but brief, sting operation today to enforce the laws against making U-turns across the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes. Meanwhile, a number of readers have written in with worries that a pedestrian enforcement campaign is targeting the wrong people for the wrong behavior.
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Reader David Joseph wrote:
...I walk this intersection twice a day and without fail drivers make illegal turns, pull into the crosswalk, or otherwise endanger pedestrians. I recently asked an MPD officer who was giving warnings to pedestrians why they werent talking to drivers who are the real danger. His answer was simply that they were given orders to talk to pedestrians and issue tickets for jay walking, and he was following those orders.
With driver speeding, especially with the latest speed camera bill, we've made a decision to tolerate a certain amount of unlawful speeding (10 mph over the limit)
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The District needs to focus on the most unsafe behavior. Sometimes, that's pedestrian behavior, but more often it's not.
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http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/17541/is-ped-enforcement-campaign-blaming-the-victim/