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The law, which came into effect this month, says that drivers and cyclists have to stop and wait until pedestrians have completely crossed at pedestrian crossovers – or, at normal crosswalks, if there's a school crossing guard there.
"Where there is a median or physical barrier that divides a highway into two roadways, the new law requires drivers to wait until pedestrians and the school crossing guard has cleared the roadway in the direction that the vehicle is travelling," said Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO) in an e-mail statement.
Fines range from $150-$500 and drivers may face three demerit points. Fines are doubled in community safety zones.
So what's a pedestrian crossover? It sounds a little like a cool name for a pedestrian bridge, like the one reportedly being used by people and cars in Ottawa. But, really it's a painted crosswalk with overhead lights that flash when the pedestrian pushes a button. "A
pedestrian crossover is a pedestrian crossing facility identified by specific signs, pavement markings and overhead lights in combination with pedestrian-activated flashing beacons," the MTO said. "A school crossing is any pedestrian crossing facility where a school crossing guard is present and is displaying a school crossing stop sign."
Before the law change, drivers could keep going once pedestrians had crossed halfway across the road.
That's a problem because drivers might see traffic moving and might not realize that someone is crossing, De Felice said.
"People see some cars moving and think they can go," De Felice said. "They may not be sure why one car is stopped and decide to go around – and all of a sudden there's a pedestrian in that intersection."
It's also an issue in school zones because kids may dawdle or suddenly switch directions while crossing the road – or another child might be running behind them to catch up.
"Even when there's a crossing guard, kids are kids," De Felice said. "If all the cars are waiting, it's easier to see somebody rushing out."
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