Vigilante wrote:
Quote:

HighFiveCity wrote:
I've had cars pass mine while I've stopped at a crosswalk for crossing pedestrians (one example - that down hill cross walk under the turnpike at 7th street and Newark). Very scary, thankfully the person crossing was being alert.

Here's a link to the NJ Pedestrian Law.

http://www.nj.gov/oag/hts/pedestrian.html

Summary - Be mindful that it's drivers choice to stop if the pedestrian is only waiting and watching on a corner to cross.

Cars it seems are only mandated by law to stop when a person is in the act of crossing the street in a cross walk.

In our case we were halfway across the two-way street and the car nearly hit us. I gave the woman the WTF gesture, she waved without stopping like "sorry, I'm an idiot" and then the cop sprang into action. It was so satisfyingly awesome. Justice served.

HighFiveCity wrote:
I've had cars pass mine while I've stopped at a crosswalk for crossing pedestrians (one example - that down hill cross walk under the turnpike at 7th street and Newark). Very scary, thankfully the person crossing was being alert.

Here's a link to the NJ Pedestrian Law.

http://www.nj.gov/oag/hts/pedestrian.html

Summary - Be mindful that it's drivers choice to stop if the pedestrian is only waiting and watching on a corner to cross.

Cars it seems are only mandated by law to stop when a person is in the act of crossing the street in a cross walk.

JCbiscuit wrote:
Quote:

Vigilante wrote:
The wife and I just nearly got hit by a car illegally jumping the light and making the left onto 6th Street from Jersey Ave. Unfortunately for them the second car in opposing traffic was an unmarked cop car and you can guess the rest. NABBED!!!

That would not have been my first guess.

Or even my second.

Vigilante wrote:
The wife and I just nearly got hit by a car illegally jumping the light and making the left onto 6th Street from Jersey Ave. Unfortunately for them the second car in opposing traffic was an unmarked cop car and you can guess the rest. NABBED!!!

greenville wrote:
The cops don't care if you blow through a stop sign but god forbid your windows are tinted to dark they will pull you over in a heartbeat.

greenville wrote:
The cops don't care if you blow through a stop sign but god forbid your windows are tinted to dark they will pull you over in a heartbeat.

JCMan8 wrote:
I disagree. Have you been around Jersey City? Have you read the news? The police have plenty of real crime and real criminals to deal with.

I've also been downtown plenty and I've never seen this supposed epidemic of reckless driving. What I frequently see are rude pedestrians who cross the road before they are permitted, causing cars who are making turns at lights to have to come to a sudden stop. I wouldn't be surprised if that's why some of you are getting cursed out by drivers.

To the extent the police should be increasing enforcement, they can hand out extra jaywalking tickets. But again, all of this is unnecessary, as the police have their hands full with real problems.

La_Verdad wrote:
Quote:

JCMan8 wrote:

I've also been downtown plenty and I've never seen this supposed epidemic of reckless driving.

Not plenty enough, apparently. My wife and I walk up Marin to the PATH and there are mornings where I am almost struck (crossing in the crosswalk, with the signal) at all three intersections I cross that have traffic lights. Grand Street is ridiculous.

Separately - can anyone explain the purpose of the influx of cops standing on corners (not in the intersection, but usually up agains a building on a corner) during rush hours? Seems like they first appeared when the Skyway closed and I thought they were there to direct traffic but now they just stand around and talk on their phones or just stare off into the distance. I've seen at least a half dozen instances where someone blatantly runs a red light in front of one of these police statues and nothing.

La_Verdad wrote:
...
I've seen at least a half dozen instances where someone blatantly runs a red light in front of one of these police statues and nothing.

JCMan8 wrote:

I've also been downtown plenty and I've never seen this supposed epidemic of reckless driving.

alastor wrote:
It's the difference between individual action and community action. If I file a summons, I might put this motorist on notice to drive safely; he'll probably just be irate that someone called him out for his conduct. If the city takes action, they might begin to address this problem in earnest. Councilwoman Osborne takes pedestrian safety seriously. And it should be taken seriously by the entire city government, especially the police department. There has been some improvement along Jersey Ave. with the installation of signage advising driver's of the state law. But the reckless driving continues to persist and the outrage by motorists who think they should be allowed to muscle over anyone in their way. It puzzles me why you think physically endangering someone is somehow a minor problem.

alastor wrote:
This is exactly the kind of attitude that is so pervasive and dangerous. You dishonor the people who have been killed crossing the street. And you demonstrate why this behavior continues unchecked. Furthermore, when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk, you MUST yield. If the crosswalk is at an intersection, the pedestrian has the right of way if prompted by the walk signal. Granted, people do jaywalk and that's a problem. But that gives you no legal right to endanger their lives. It is astounding how flagrantly the students of Ferris High School obstruct traffic by jaywalking in front of crossing guards and police, endangering themselves and motorists. This is also a problem that needs to be seriously addressed by law enforcement. Instead, we have your attitude that these laws are somehow irrelevant or take a back seat to "real" crime. It's a fallacy that you can only address one kind of crime or the other; the police need to address both. And the lollygagging I frequently see by JCPD (the cop that stands around aimlessly on Grand St. and Barrow being one of many examples) suggests that they have men and women that could be assigned to this important task.

JCMan8 wrote:

I've also been downtown plenty and I've never seen this supposed epidemic of reckless driving. What I frequently see are rude pedestrians who cross the road before they are permitted, causing cars who are making turns at lights to have to come to a sudden stop. I wouldn't be surprised if that's why some of you are getting cursed out by drivers.

alastor wrote:
Just tonight a vehicle nearly hit me in a crosswalk on Jersey Ave. and when I yelled at the driver that he must "Yield to Pedestrians in a Crosswalk," he abruptly stopped his car and began to threaten my person with physical violence.

The police seem altogether indifferent. In fact, I have witnessed police texting in their patrol vehicles while this very infraction (failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk) occurs directly in front of them. When I spoke with an officer about the apparent indifference, he said they had better things to do such as homicides and robberies. There was no reply when I remarked that reckless a driver poses an imminent threat to human life.

My question to fellow citizens: I have the license plate information of the vehicle that nearly struck me, presumably owned by the man who threatened me. Should I go to the municipal court and file a summons against him? Or is the degree of hostility and self-entitlement so rampant in this community that he would seek reprisal? Obviously, in court, it would be my word against his.

What we need is targeted enforcement by the police to curb this behavior.

alastor wrote:
Judging by the responses, reckless driving is a major threat to pedestrian safety throughout Jersey City, including downtown where there is frequent pedestrian traffic.

Just tonight a vehicle nearly hit me in a crosswalk on Jersey Ave. and when I yelled at the driver that he must "Yield to Pedestrians in a Crosswalk," he abruptly stopped his car and began to threaten my person with physical violence.

The police seem altogether indifferent. In fact, I have witnessed police texting in their patrol vehicles while this very infraction (failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk) occurs directly in front of them. When I spoke with an officer about the apparent indifference, he said they had better things to do such as homicides and robberies. There was no reply when I remarked that reckless a driver poses an imminent threat to human life.

My question to fellow citizens: I have the license plate information of the vehicle that nearly struck me, presumably owned by the man who threatened me. Should I go to the municipal court and file a summons against him? Or is the degree of hostility and self-entitlement so rampant in this community that he would seek reprisal? Obviously, in court, it would be my word against his.

What we need is targeted enforcement by the police to curb this behavior.

Vigilante wrote:
That would hold true if all bicyclists also followed the law but sadly it's not the case. I see bikes going the wrong way all the time. Fact: Your profile on a bike is miniscule compared to a car and yet you are traveling almost as fast as a car yet silently. Also, many bike riders will skirt the road close to parked cars therefore making them harder to see. I won't even mention sidewalks. Someone like me? Yes, I look both ways but for elderly folks or distracted pedestrians? It's a different story. Bike riders should be making their presence known constantly.