Loudoun Police to Drivers: Don’t Stop for Peds/Cyclists

The title is slightly misleading. The police aren’t saying “don’t stop,” they’re saying only stop if cyclists are already in the x-walk, meaning the cyclists should wait for a break in traffic before proceeding.

But wait, isn’t there a beg button there now? I read an article about this the other day and I feel like I read there was one installed now. My experience with the beg button at the crossing on Virginia Ave near the Kennedy Center says that some cars only stop when you dare them to hit you, flashing lights or not.

@Tania 163318 wrote:

The title is slightly misleading. The police aren’t saying “don’t stop,” they’re saying only stop if cyclists are already in the x-walk, meaning the cyclists should wait for a break in traffic before proceeding.

But wait, isn’t there a beg button there now? I read an article about this the other day and I feel like I read there was one installed now. My experience with the beg button at the crossing on Virginia Ave near the Kennedy Center says that some cars only stop when you dare them to hit you, flashing lights or not.

I do not like the “beg button” characterization as I think it sends the wrong message.

I don’t mind pressing the button before crossing such an intersection (I mind when cars IGNORE it though). It’s kinda like a little head’s up to drivers that it’s a crosswalk and someone is trying to cross.

There have been plenty of times when I’ve been driving through Arlington (where it’s 25mph but you can barely do that because the streets are so narrow) and I’ve gone through crosswalks without realizing someone was at the edge waiting to cross – you frequently just can’t/don’t see them until they are IN the crosswalk or at least moving. <-- And I bike more than I drive, so I KNOW to look for stuff like that. So if it's that easy for me to occasionally zone out and miss a patiently waiting soon-to-be crosswalker, then how easy it for someone who is car centric? I'll take every visual aid I can get, both as a driver and a cyclist.

@f148vr 163338 wrote:

and what is that message?

That 100% of the burden for preventing collisions falls on the vulnerable road users.

Ideally visibility at intersections and other crosswalks would be good enough, and drivers aware enough, that beg buttons would not be needed other than at red lights (there beg buttons are necessary to get peds through sensor controlled intersections) Unfortunately we are not there yet.

Where beg buttons truly become problematic is A. for cyclists riding in road. I mean really? There the solution is new sensors that recognize bikes B. Ones that are badly placed even for pedestrians

and of course, ones where the flashing lights are routinely ignored. Which does happen at some heavily used crossings.

. I got the name from former New York City transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow in their book Streetfight. Here’s her introduction of the concept:

“Another poorly thought-out safety feature is pedestrian buttons at crosswalks. Many urban and suburban crosswalks will never get a Walk signal unless someone at the corner presses one of these “beg buttons”. It’s not surprising to find that many people get tired of waiting or don’t realise there’s even a button to press, instead taking their chances by crossing against the light. And once you’re crossing there’s no guarantee that motorists will respect your right-of-way…”

@lordofthemark 163343 wrote:

and of course, ones where the flashing lights are routinely ignored. Which does happen at some heavily used crossings.

That’s because rapid flashing beacons are stupid and should never be used because no one knows what they mean because everyone got their license before they existed.