Lehigh Valley drivers reminded to yield to pedestrians -- or else

• Officials held a driver education event in Northampton Borough Wednesday, reminding drivers to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
• Volunteer pedestrians walked back and forth across Main Street Wednesday afternoon, while police stood by to pull over drivers who failed to yield
• A similar event held in the borough last year netted 40 violations in three hours, according to borough police.

NORTHAMPTON BOROUGH, Pa. — On Wednesday, a handful of pedestrians lingered along Main Street in the heart of Northampton, waiting to cross the road.

They’d take turns stepping into the crosswalk near 19th Street, pausing a moment to make sure oncoming cars could see them waiting to cross, walk across the street, pause for a few moments longer and cross back the way they came, walking back and forth across Main Street.

Every few minutes or so, one of the pedestrians waiting to cross would watch a vehicle drive in front of them, maybe swerving to miss them so they could carry on through the intersection without having to yield.

That's a crime in Pennsylvania, and the exercise was a demonstration of what can happen to drivers who don't yield to pedestrians.

'Keep pedestrians and motorists alike safe'

When drivers disregarded pedestrian laws Wednesday, a loud beep announced a borough police officer‘s voice over the radio, sharing a description of the vehicle with his two partners waiting on each end of the street.

A few blocks away, red and blue lights would begin to flash, and the driver was pulled over.

The pedestrians all were volunteers, and the whole team was part of a program to remind drivers in the borough to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.

In addition to funding through a state Transportation Department grant, the program was supported by Northampton Borough Police Department, Lehigh Township Police Department, the Bethlehem Health Bureau and Lehigh Valley Health Network.

The ultimate goal is to keep pedestrians and motorists alike safe, especially as foot traffic increases with the start of the school year.

During a similar event in the borough last year, in three hours, police pulled over 40 drivers for failing to yield.

“We're out here to remind the motorist that really you have to — Pennsylvania law states that you need to — yield when they're in a marked crosswalk,” PennDOT District 5 spokesman Sean Brown said.

Brown said the team targeted the crosswalk at Main and 19th streets because of a high number of pedestrian-involved crashes there.

'There are consequences'

Under Pennsylvania law, drivers must yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. They can’t swerve around the pedestrian, or continue through the crosswalk if a pedestrian is in it.

However, compliance can be spotty.

Pedestrians, too, have responsibilities. Outside of marked crosswalks, for example, pedestrians must yield to cars. Walkers should also give motorists a chance to see them in the crosswalk, to avoid stepping out in front of cars.

Events like Wednesday’s in Northampton are more common in larger cities, but are expanding to smaller municipalities.

“We need to start educating drivers in the boroughs, as well, because we do have a lot of foot traffic, and especially school traffic that's coming in,” said Jonathan Roth, a Lehigh Township police officer.

As with any traffic stop, police who pulled over drivers Wednesday could decide whether to give them a ticket or a warning for failing to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

“There are consequences to disobeying crosswalks, in the commonwealth and in the borough as well,” Roth said.

“Even if you're only getting a warning, you are getting an education about what you have to do and your responsibility as a motorist,” Brown said.

Roth agreed.

“If there's a pedestrian in the crosswalk, stop,” he said. “It's as simple as that.”