Sharing the road with pedestrians: a guide for bicyclists and motorists

              PPeeddeessttrriiaann SShhaarree tthhee RRooaadd GGuuiiddee 11
A guide for motorists and
pedestrians published by the
Arizona Department of Transportation
Sharing the
Road
with Pedestrians
2 Pedestrian Share the Road Guide
PEDESTRIAN
PARENTS: Children age 5 to 9 have the highest risk of
all pedestrians of being hit by a car, primarily due to
dashing out into the street. Teach your children to:
• stop at the curb,
• look left - right - left for traffic,
• cross only when it is clear, and
• keep looking for cars as you cross
MOTORIST
Remember that children may play in or near a street
and may often enter the street unexpectedly. Children
commonly dash out into the street without looking
for cars or without judging distances correctly to
oncoming cars.
Please slow down and be ready to stop.
PPeeddeessttrriiaann SShhaarree tthhee RRooaadd GGuuiiddee 33
PEDESTRIAN
When crossing the roadway, be aware of turning, merging
or speeding vehicles. The roadway may appear clear,
but suddenly a vehicle may appear where you don’t
expect it.
PARENTS: Cross with your children at intersections
whenever possible. Try to cross at the best location
where you have the longest distance to be able to
see oncoming drivers and for drivers to be able to see
you.
MOTORIST
Pedestrians have the legal right to cross a roadway at
and between almost all intersections. On roadways
where there are marked crosswalks between signal-ized
intersections, pedestrians have the right-of-way in
the marked crosswalk. Even if you have the right-of-way
as the driver, please exercise due care for pedestrians
crossing the roadway and give them space. If you come too
close to a pedestrian, you may block the next driver from
seeing the pedestrian as he or she is crossing the roadway.
4 Pedestrian Share the Road Guide
PEDESTRIAN
Practice these rules with your child for staying safe around a
school bus:
• Be at the bus stop before the bus is due.
• Stand at least three giant steps away from the
edge of the road and line up away from the street.
• Wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the
driver says it is okay to board.
• To cross the street in front of the bus, walk five
giant steps ahead of the bus before you cross.
Be sure you and the bus driver can see each other.
• Stop and check.
• NEVER walk behind the bus.
• If you drop something near or under the bus, tell
the driver. Never try to pick it up. The driver may
not see you and begin to drive away.
PPeeddeessttrriiaann SShhaarree tthhee RRooaadd GGuuiiddee 55
MOTORIST
Always expect children to be around stopped school
buses, even if the red lights of the bus are not flashing
as you approach. It is against the law to pass a
stopped school bus with its lights flashing
(A.R.S.28-857).
Please slow to a safe speed and look for children. Stop for
all school buses on your half of a divided roadway or on
either side of an undivided roadway when the school bus
lights are flashing.
6 Pedestrian Share the Road Guide
PEDESTRIAN
Always assume that drivers may not stop.
A marked crosswalk does not assure your safety.
Look carefully and make sure that all vehicles are
stopped before entering each lane.
PARENTS: This is extremely important to teach your
children. Don’t allow your children under age 12
to cross multilane streets without a responsible and
trained adult guardian to accompany them and to
teach them that each lane must be stopped
before crossing.
MOTORIST
It is against the law to pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk
(A.R.S. 28-792). Exercise extreme caution when coming up
alongside stopped or stopping vehicles, and be
prepared to stop for pedestrians who are walking in
marked or unmarked crosswalks.
PPeeddeessttrriiaann SShhaarree tthhee RRooaadd GGuuiiddee 77
PEDESTRIAN
Watch for turning vehicles. Many times, a turning driver
is looking at oncoming traffic and may not see you
until he is actually making the turn. Scan over your
shoulder frequently as you are making the crossing.
PARENTS: Children are often unaware of this
condition and must be trained carefully to watch
for turning drivers. Children must be aware in
the intersection at all times.
MOTORIST
Be always on the lookout for pedestrians, and scan the
intersection for pedestrians who are crossing or about
to cross the roadway you are turning across. Be aware
that your left windshield support may partially block
your view, so look very carefully past the windshield
support before turning.
8 Pedestrian Share the Road Guide
PEDESTRIAN
Watch for cars at all times when crossing driveways.
Drivers exiting a driveway sometimes may not really
“see” pedestrians, especially children. Expect that a
driver may not see you, and exercise great caution.
PARENTS: This is a major concern in commercial as
well as residential areas. Teach your children to be
especially careful when on or near driveways.
MOTORIST
Please avoid rushing into or out of driveways. Expect
people to be walking on the sidewalk, especially
around schools, commercial areas and in neighbor-hoods.
Also be mindful in commercial areas, where
pedestrians should commonly be expected.
PPeeddeessttrriiaann SShhaarree tthhee RRooaadd GGuuiiddee 99
PEDESTRIAN
Be visible—walk facing traffic whenever possible and at night
wear bright colored reflective clothing and carry lights.
Remember: Drivers do their best to avoid you if they can
see you!
PARENTS: Whenever possible, avoid walking with
your family along major roadways that do not have
sidewalks. If you must do so, walk outside the edge
of the roadway, and make sure you and your children
are as visible as possible.
MOTORIST
Watch for pedestrians who may be walking along a
roadway that does not have sidewalks. Remember
that they have the legal right to walk on the edge of
the roadway and that you must yield to them to the
best of your ability (A.R.S. 28-796).
10 Pedestrian Share the Road Guide
PEDESTRIAN
Parking lots can often be hazardous.
Be aware of traffic at all times, and mind your children
who are much less visible to backing drivers. Try to
exit parking lots or walk along the edges as soon
as possible.
PARENTS: Keep control of your children in parking lots
at all times, as they can be very difficult for drivers to
see. Don’t allow them to run or play in parking lots.
MOTORIST
Just as you would hope that other drivers watch for
you as you’re walking in a parking lot, be very aware
and careful around pedestrians as you’re driving in a
lot. Remember that a 3,000 pound vehicle can do
a lot of damage even at only 5 miles per hour. Learn
to back into parking spaces, so you can see much
better as you pull out.
PPeeddeessttrriiaann SShhaarree tthhee RRooaadd GGuuiiddee 11
RELEVANT PEDESTRIAN STATUTES
Arizona Revised Statutes
as of January 1, 2004
28-101. DEFINITIONS
“Pedestrian” means any person afoot. A person who
uses an electric personal assistive mobility device
or a manual or motorized wheelchair is considered a
pedestrian unless the manual wheelchair qualifies as a
bicycle. For the purposes of this paragraph, “motorized
wheelchair” means a self-propelled wheelchair that is
used by a person for mobility.
“Electric personal assistive mobility device” means a
self-balancing two non-tandem wheeled device with
an electric propulsion system that limits the maximum
speed of the device to fifteen miles per hour or less
and that is designed to transport only one person.
28-601. DEFINITIONS
“Crosswalk” means:
(a) That part of a roadway at an intersection included
within the prolongations or connections of the lateral
lines of the sidewalks on opposite sides of the high-way
measured from the curbs or, in absence of curbs,
from the edges of the traversable roadway.
12 Pedestrian Share the Road Guide
(b) Any portion of a roadway at an intersection or
elsewhere that is distinctly indicated for pedestrian
crossing by lines or other markings on the surface.
“Intersection” means the area embraced within the
prolongation or connection of the lateral curb lines, or
if none, the lateral boundary lines of the roadways of
two highways that join one another at, or approxi-mately
at, right angles, or the area within which
vehicles traveling on different highways joining at any
other angle may come in conflict. If a highway includes
two roadways thirty or more feet apart, each crossing
of each roadway of the divided highway by an inter-secting
highway is a separate intersection. If the
intersecting highway also includes two roadways thirty
or more feet apart, each crossing of two roadways of
the highways is a separate intersection.
“Motorized wheelchair” means any self-propelled
wheelchair that is used by a person for mobility.
“Roadway” means that portion of a highway that is
improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular
travel, exclusive of the berm or shoulder. If a highway
includes two or more separate roadways, roadway
refers to any such roadway separately but not to all
such roadways collectively.
“Sidewalk” means that portion of a street that is
between the curb lines or the lateral lines of a road-way
and the adjacent property lines and that is
intended for the use of pedestrians.
PPeeddeessttrriiaann SShhaarree tthhee RRooaadd GGuuiiddee 13
“Traffic” means pedestrians, ridden or herded animals,
vehicles and other conveyances either singly or
together while using a highway for purposes of travel.
28-791. PEDESTRIANS SUBJECT TO TRAFFIC RULES
A. Pedestrians are subject to traffic control signals at
intersections as provided in section 28-645 unless
required by local ordinance to comply strictly with the
signals. At all places other than intersections, pedestri-ans
are accorded the privileges and are subject to the
restrictions stated in this article.
B. A local authority may require by ordinance that
pedestrians strictly comply with the directions of an
official traffic control signal and may prohibit by
ordinance pedestrians from crossing a roadway in a
business district or crossing a designated highway
except in a crosswalk.
28-792. RIGHT-OF-WAY AT CROSSWALK
A. Except as provided in section 28-793, subsection B,
if traffic control signals are not in place or are not in
operation, the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-
way, slowing down or stopping if need be in order
to yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a
crosswalk when the pedestrian is on the half of the
roadway on which the vehicle is traveling or when the
pedestrian is approaching so closely from the opposite
half of the roadway as to be in danger. A pedestrian
shall not suddenly leave any curb or other place of
14 Pedestrian Share the Road Guide
safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is
so close that it is impossible for the driver to yield.
B. If a vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk or at
an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection to permit a
pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of another
vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake
and pass the stopped vehicle.
28-793. CROSSING AT OTHER THAN CROSSWALK
A. A pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other
than within a marked crosswalk or within an
unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield
the right-of-way to all vehicles on the roadway.
B. A pedestrian crossing a roadway at a point where a
pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing has
been provided shall yield the right-of-way to all
vehicles on the roadway.
C. Between adjacent intersections at which traffic control
signals are in operation, pedestrians shall not cross at any
place except in a marked crosswalk.
PPeeddeessttrriiaann SShhaarree tthhee RRooaadd GGuuiiddee 15
28-794. DRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARE
Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter every
driver of a vehicle shall:
1. Exercise due care to avoid colliding with any
pedestrian on any roadway.
2. Give warning by sounding the horn when
necessary.
3. Exercise proper precaution on observing a child or
a confused or incapacitated person on a roadway.
28-795. PEDESTRIANS TO USE RIGHT HALF OF CROSSWALK
Pedestrians shall move expeditiously, when practi-cable,
on the right half of crosswalks.
28-796. PEDESTRIAN ON ROADWAYS
A. If sidewalks are provided, a pedestrian shall not
walk along and on an adjacent roadway.
B. If sidewalks are not provided, a pedestrian walking
along and on a highway shall walk when practicable
only on the left side of the roadway or its shoulder
facing traffic that may approach from the opposite
direction.
C. A person shall not stand in a roadway for the
purpose of soliciting a ride from the driver of a vehicle.
16 Pedestrian Share the Road Guide
© 2004 Arizona Department of Transportation
Design and illustration by Pima County Graphic Services
Arizona Department of Transportation
Bicycle and Pedestrian Program
Mail Drop 310B
206 S. 17th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85007
(602) 712-8141
azbikeped@azdot.gov
http://www.azbikeped.org