Drivers, Walkers And the Battle For the Streets

By Robert Thomson
Sunday, June 8, 2008

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

What is the definition of jaywalking?

As a lifelong reader of The Post, I get the impression that many of Dr. Gridlock's readers and many writers think that jaywalking is crossing wherever there is no designated crosswalk.

I can recall many articles saying that "the pedestrian was not in a crosswalk when hit," as if they were doing something illegal. I've talked to two Montgomery County policemen who say that a pedestrian may legally cross at any intersection, marked or unmarked.

Like fellow Olney walker David Bancroft [Dr. Gridlock, May 29], I've had some bad experiences, and never while jaywalking. Twice in the past two years in our shopping centers, while crossing from one sidewalk to another, I have been missed by a vehicle by less than six inches.

Emily Grunwell Olney

Jaywalking means crossing recklessly or without the right of way. The word has an underlying power: It defines who controls our streets.

The Maryland Driver's Manual says this: "Pedestrians in a crosswalk, whether marked or unmarked, have the right-of-way except when they enter the crosswalk on a red light or against the direction of a traffic officer."

The Federal Highway Administration offers this definition of a crosswalk: "the extension of the sidewalk or the shoulder across the intersection, regardless of whether it is marked or not."

Those commonly used definitions are the terms of the peace treaty between drivers and walkers. On the street, drivers rule, except on the reservations set aside for pedestrians.

Peter D. Norton, author of "Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City," said "jaywalk" originated in the Midwest, a jay being a simple farm boy overwhelmed by the complexities of the big city. In the hands of automobile promoters, he said, the word became a club.

"The street a hundred years ago was a place where anyone could go if they didn't make a nuisance or get in someone's way," said Norton, a faculty member at the University of Virginia.

But the pejorative term for pedestrians that he found in a 1909 Chicago Tribune had become popular by the 1920s, thanks to auto advocates, who among other tactics got Boy Scouts to hand out cards asking pedestrians, "Did you know you were jaywalking?"

By the end of the decade, Norton said, the once-outlandish idea that pedestrians don't belong in the streets had become mainstream. Who's winning today? "Motorists all the way, with some local exceptions," Norton said.

Is it time to declare that the peace treaty was not an unconditional surrender by pedestrians?

Metro in Emergencies

This was one of many letters questioning or criticizing Metro's efforts during Wednesday's storms to bridge the gap between Orange Line stations after service was cut:

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

How does Metro determine how many shuttles to supply when Metrorail is unavailable? I was one of the hundreds of people stuck at the East Falls Church Station on Wednesday when a power disruption ceased service between East and West Falls Church.

I certainly do not blame Metro for the power issue; there were [tornado warnings], after all. But I waited at East Falls Church for a good 45 minutes before giving up and riding the other way back to Ballston. The mob of people -- it was not a line -- waiting for the shuttle service to West Falls Church had barely inched forward.

Dan Friedman Silver Spring

Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. also heard from many riders and addressed the issue Friday on Metro's Web site.

During Wednesday's afternoon rush period, Metro fielded 15 buses to carry about 2,000 people between the stations.

Catoe noted the limitations of buses: They hold about 50 people, compared with about 900 on a train, and get stuck in traffic.

Do you think Metro should keep more buses in reserve? These emergencies, painful as they are, occur infrequently. Is it worth the cost to keep many more vehicles, and drivers, on standby?

Although that might be unclear, Metro must do a better job communicating with riders in the first minutes after a disruption. These events are rare, but they happen often enough for Metro to learn from riders' legitimate frustrations.

Dr. Gridlock appears Thursday in the Extras and Sunday in the Metro section. You can send e-mails todrgridlock@washpost.com.

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