Must Stop bill passes Senate!

Submitted by mkohara on Thu, 04/29/2010 - 10:06am

Today is a historical day! The Illinois General Assembly passed a monumental bill, HB43, clarifying the current law by requiring drivers to stop for pedestrians in all crosswalks – even those that don’t have a stop sign or traffic signal; and even those that aren’t marked with paint. Current law is vague and nearly impossible to enforce.

HB 43 is clear: come to a complete stop when pedestrians are present.

Active Trans worked with Sen. Heather Steans (Chicago) and Rep. Luis Arroyo (Chicago) to make Illinois a state that prioritizes and protects people, not cars. These two legislators were champions that deserve a lot of praise. If you are in their districts, please call them or write a handwritten thank you note letting them know their efforts were appreciated and congratulating them on their victory. The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, Metropolitan Planning Council and a particularly active group of students at Curie Metropolitan High School have played critical roles in this victory.

This will go into law as soon as Gov. Quinn signs the bill.

HB 43 will save lives and prevent serious injuries. More than 6,000 people are hit by cars every year in Illinois. That translates into 1,000 serious injuries and 150 fatalities.

This victory has been nearly two years in the making and we couldn’t have done it without the phone calls, support and momentum you provide. Thank you!

Please join us for a HB 43 celebration at Mother Hubbard's (State and Hubbard) today at 4:30 p.m. Hope you see you there!

Apparently the great geniuses

Submitted by John Claude GrandAM (not verified) on Tue, 05/25/2010 - 2:43am.

Apparently the great geniuses of the senate have never driven through Chicago hoods. My God...the people there jump out in front of your car all the time and go at a pace that would make my grandmother look like Usain Bolt. It's pretty awful, and they do it for a variety of idiotic reasons; to sue you, to mug you, to steal your car (they get hit, their friend takes the wheel when you get out to help), because it "makes you look weak" to get out of the way of a car, etc. If I see a group of unsavory looking men standing on both sides of a crosswalk eying traffic, you better believe I'm not stopping. Though I guess about 75% of the time they don't even bother using the crosswalk, but what the hell is a crosswalk that isn't marked in any way?

Excellent work. This is great

Submitted by Erik S. (not verified) on Fri, 04/30/2010 - 10:08am.

Excellent work. This is great to hear.

Yield to pedestrians never

Submitted by JohnW (not verified) on Thu, 04/29/2010 - 3:07pm.

Yield to pedestrians never seemed confusing to me. Does anyone really think this will change driver behavior without enforcement?

Crosswalk definition

Submitted by mkohara on Thu, 04/29/2010 - 2:39pm.

Simply put, crosswalks are present when a sidewalk leads into a street. Many times they are marked. Sometimes they aren't. And sometimes a stop sign and traffic light do not accompany them. HB 43 requires drivers to stop for pedestrians in all crosswalks.

Stop for Peds

Submitted by Mel (not verified) on Thu, 04/29/2010 - 2:20pm.

My favorite part: "effective immediately." But isn't that language going to be misleading for some? "Stop and yield," as in "stop and/or yield"? In either case, the point is clear. Nice work, ATA!

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=43&GAID=10&DocType...

HB 43

Submitted by lisa lefkowitz (not verified) on Thu, 04/29/2010 - 1:10pm.

How are "cross walks" defined? I lived in Los Angeles for a while. To avoid being rear-ended when I moved back, I had to remember NOT to stop for every pedestrian, jaywalking or not.