But we can think even bigger than that. Our primary goal is to give back priority to pedestrians so we can enjoy the outdoors, get some exercise, and get from place to place without fighting traffic. The goal is to make it apparent to drivers that they should yield to anyone crossing this road. They can wait. We can all slow down a bit. By adding several crosswalks, we can take back our neighborhood from traffic cutting off access (during rush-hour particularly) to/from the sidewalk on Penfield Rd.

I certainly hope that crosswalks can be added to improve our neighborhoods, to make life a bit more enjoyable, and not simply as a self defense strategy to prevent injury. In a recent response received by one resident, the Monroe County DOT did not recommended the addition of crosswalks based on a “good safety record.”

This does make some sense. I do understand. With limited resources, crosswalks should be added first to intersections with a history of injuries. Unfortunately, it does come across as reactionary and backwards. Certainly we should not have to wait for one of us to be hurt or killed before we add crosswalks, and certainly the bar can be raised a bit higher than that.

My take home message is that this is not only an effort to improve safety, and so cannot be dismissed based on those grounds alone. While I appreciate the MCDOT efforts (and support!), I think we should consider the scope of their recommendation for what it is.