Motorists In City Of The Crosses Ignore Crosswalks

Crosswalks are supposed to be safe, but police in Las Cruces said a lot of them across town are not as safe as they should be.

At any time of day, there is no telling how long a pedestrian might have to wait just to step foot in a designated crosswalk.

At various crosswalks located around Las Cruces, drivers appear to treat pedestrians as if they are invisible.

Screeching tires cut through the hum of traffic as a man is nearly hit by a truck along West Picacho Avenue. It did not make a difference that he was in the middle of a crosswalk.

“I’ll get mad sometimes, so I’ll rather just wait and let ’em go pass,” one woman said.

She demonstrated how challenging it is to cross the street, patiently waiting along the curb near the police station as dozens of vehicles sped past, as if he was not even there.

“Yeah it is sad, and I’m sorry to see it happen, but I don’t know that we can fix it by putting up a bunch of lights,” another woman said. “People get into their cars and they turn into different people, that’s what road rage is all about.”

It was not just regular drivers ignoring pedestrians either. Even police units and school buses blew by, disregarding the thick white stripes and neon yellow signs, and the clearest indicator to slow down of all — a person on foot.

“If you see somebody at a crosswalk and you’re driving a vehicle and that somebody looks to be attempting to cross the road there, by law, you’re supposed to stop your vehicle and allow them to cross,” said Dan Trujillo, spokesman for the Las Cruces Police Deptartment.

Failure to yield for a pedestrian is a $92 fine.

Police suggest save yourself the money, be responsible and simply stop for pedestrians.

“It’s just common sense that somebody who’s walking across the street isn’t as strong as a car.”