Pedestrian Etiquette Topic Of West Hartford Safety Push

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Like a smarmy 1990s comeback line, local safety officials want pedestrians to "talk to the hand" when crossing the street.

More specifically, they're urging those who travel by food to "abide by the hand" or "do what the hand tells you."

The recent jaywalking campaign is part of the town's ongoing Vision Zero pedestrian/motorist safety push.

According to a recent West Hartford announcement, it is considered jaywalking and potentially unsafe to push the pedestrian button at a signalized intersection and then cross against the “Steady Hand” or “Flashing Hand” pedestrian signal indication.

This is jaywalking if crossing within the painted crosswalk, officials said.

"This also creates a lot of frustration for motorists when they see a pedestrian has already crossed and they are stopped and waiting unnecessarily for the exclusive pedestrian phase to end when no pedestrians are crossing," wrote the Town of West Hartford.

Simply put, officials said pedestrians should push the button and wait for the pedestrian signal to display the “Walking Person” and/or hear the audible message indicating, “The Walk Sign is On,” before crossing the intersection in the painted crosswalk.

For more information on West Hartford's 'Vision Zero' initiative, click on this link.

From Aug. 14: 'Sobering Stats Unveiled In West Hartford About Accident Victims'