BRATTLEBORO — The weather has been great recently. Unfortunately, pedestrian safety is still a major issue a year after the hit-and-run.
One Monday night, it was the failure of a large pickup to yield in the crosswalk when I was facing traffic with my snow-white hand sticking straight out into the crosswalk clearly indicating intention to cross - which is the rule of law, giving me right of way.
Early afternoon the next day, within 45 minutes, came three serious intent-to-injure failures to yield. All three times, I was facing traffic, just off the sidewalk, with my arm fully extended as before.
Two of these incidents happened on Putney Road. The last took place near the post office where a gentleman related his experience last week on Western Avenue with a pickup (it's almost always pickups) brushing him.
Rather than complying with the law and making a hard but safe stop, blowing through a crosswalk is convenient since there's no law enforcement in sight. So goes the thinking.
The problem is not law enforcement. The problem is the Windham County car culture that has zero respect for pedestrians, even in the urban hub of the county.
Perhaps the Selectboard will allow citizens to make complaints regarding this issue, especially if I could supply the license plate numbers and the times. Something has to be done before someone else gets killed, notwithstanding Interim Town Manager Patrick Moreland's mindless caution against lumping together all the accidents in the past two years.
The culture is the culture, and it is a mindset that needs to be addressed. It's long past high time for those who have the power and authority to do something about this situation to get up and get going.