Police step up pedestrian safety enforcement

Police aim to make crosswalks in Superior safer.

The Superior Police Department is stepping up efforts to enforcement state law that requires drivers to stop for pedestrians, according to Deputy Chief Matt Markon.

“We’ve received a lot of complaints, and we’re stepping up enforcement to address those violations,” he said in a posting on the department’s Facebook page. “We’ve assigned officers to watch corners where there are a lot of pedestrians and issue citations to drivers who do not stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk. We’ve even used our own officers to be the pedestrians in this enforcement effort.”

Although the city has tackled the issue of pedestrian safety at crosswalks in the past, said Community Policing Officer Bonnie Beste, cars not stopping for people in the crosswalk is still one of the most common complaints she hears from community members.

“Most people are not victims of serious crimes, she said. “It is in their daily lives where they are being affected by violations of traffic laws and basic common courtesy.” Another common complaint is loud car stereos.

Drivers are required to stop for pedestrians who are in the crosswalk. The fine for not stopping at an intersection with no traffic signals is $326.50 and four demerit points. Drivers should be aware Superior Police Department officers are on the lookout for these violations, and they will issue citations, Markon said.

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