Bulletins

Did You Know...

you could be fined $225.00 for failing to stop for pedestrians?

Remembering when…

You have a hectic day a work, 
your brain hurts and your glad to be going home
or you are in a hurry to pick up the kids.

You get in your car and put it in “warp speed ahead”, 
forgetting everything, just thinking of where you need to go and not remembering the pedestrians.

 Or, the reverse- 

You are late for work, 
your late for class, 
your late for a meeting (I think it must be a law that we need to be late for something!).

You park your car and rush across the street 
thinking only of where you are going, thinking nothing about the approaching cars!

**Sigh!** 

Pedestrian Safety!

The Madison Police Department (MPD) has received numerous complaints from citizens regarding vehicles failing to yield to pedestrians.  These complaints are citywide.  The information below is tips from the MPD and is intended to clarify the laws regarding pedestrian and vehicle responsibilities.  Failure to comply with these laws may result in the issuance of traffic citations for violations, or worse, an injury or fatality.  Please review this information for your safety, and the safety of others. 

Intersections without Traffic Signals

Driver Responsibilities 

When a pedestrian is crossing a street at a marked or unmarked crosswalk, and there is no traffic signal:

• Drivers must yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian crossing within the marked or unmarked crosswalk.
• It does not matter if the driver has a stop sign at the intersection or if there is no stop sign, you must yield the right of way to the pedestrian.
• When turning, you must yield to both pedestrians crossing the street you are on and those crossing the street you are turning onto.
• “Yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian” means the operator of a vehicle is required to reduce speed, or stop if necessary to avoid endangering, colliding with or interfering in any way with pedestrian travel.

Pedestrian Responsibilities

• Do not suddenly enter the street if a vehicle is so close that it is difficult for the driver to yield to the pedestrian.
• Note that this rule has less to do with the speed at which a pedestrian enters the street and more to do with the distance between the pedestrian and the approaching vehicle.
• Is the vehicle far enough away from the crosswalk given the speed limit and roadway conditions, for the driver to be able to yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian?

Intersections with Traffic Signals

Driver Responsibilities

Drivers turning across a crosswalk on a green signal or making a right turn on red, must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in the crosswalk before turning.

Pedestrian Responsibilities

If there are pedestrian signals, you must abide by those signals.

• A pedestrian can begin to cross the street only when the WALK signal is lit.
• Flashing or steady DON’T WALK means do not begin crossing, but if you have already started, you may continue to the nearest sidewalk or safety zone.
• The time a pedestrian has to cross the street is the sum of the WALK time and the flashing DON’T WALK time.
• If there is a button to push for the pedestrian signal, you have to push the button or else the WALK signal will not come on.
•  If there is no push button, the walk signal should come on every time there is a green signal.

If there is no pedestrian signal,

• You may start to cross the road in any marked or unmarked crosswalk when the signal is green.
• Pedestrians facing a red signal when there are not also pedestrian signals can cross the street if they can do so safety and without interfering with any traffic on the street.

If you have any questions or training needs, contact the Environmental Health & Safety Office at (608) 246-6291 or via email