Jaywalking Calgarians paid the price for their infractions yesterday, as police handed out 90 tickets and 40 verbal warnings to downtown pedestrians.
Four officers spend two hour near the intersection of 7 Avenue and 5 Street SW, where a block of sidewalk is closed due to a building demolition.
Those caught walking along street, instead of following signs to use the sidewalk on the other side of the road, came face-to-face with police during the two hour blitz, reports Metro Calgary.
“There were just too many people for our members to stop,” Staff Sgt. Paul Stacey told the Calgary Herald, adding there may have been a copycat effect at play, where a crowd followed one or two bold jaywalkers.
“It’s just not that onerous to walk the extra two and a half lanes to get over to the proper side of the street. It’s unreal, the chances people are taking.”
Stacey said they came to the scene after complaints from drivers.
Online discussion following the blitz debated the merit of the $115 tickets, and whether Calgary should do more to accommodate pedestrians.
Several users on a Calgary Reddit thread argued that if the police were interested in public safety they would have had an officer directing pedestrians across the road, instead of hiding behind a concrete barrier waiting to hand out tickets.
Councillor Druh Farrell told Newstalk 770 that city council is currently working on a pedestrian strategy to improve safety and that perhaps companies should be fined for blocking pedestrian access.
What do you think? Were the tickets warranted, or is there a better solution? Let us know in the comments below.
