More Crosswalks in Tyler, Texas is Not the Solution to a Bigger Problem

It's no secret how packed and congested Tyler traffic can be. What makes it a bigger headache is that there is always a select few no matter where you are that just drive by their own rules and ignore traffic laws all together. Another aspect to be concerned about is people trying to cross that traffic on foot. Some say more designated crossing areas at intersections would allow for safer traversal. I don't believe that's the solution to what is a bigger problem.

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Discussion Online

In a Facebook group, the discussion was started about the lack of crosswalks in Tyler. The commenter believes that outside of downtown Tyler, there just isn't enough places laid out for citizens to cross traffic safely in Tyler. Comments for the post included stories of almost being hit while in a crosswalk, others talked about students not using crosswalks, one other commenter talked about no crossing signal at all at Beckham and Erwin, what they considered the most dangerous intersection in Tyler.

I went through these comments and it seems, based on the stories being told, and through my own personal experience, that more crosswalks are not the solution to this problem. Just about every intersection has a designated crossing area. There may not be a crossing signal but the lane is usually painted on the concrete. If people are paying attention, they can cross at these intersections safely.

The Bigger Problem in Tyler

Having more crosswalks won't make the situation any better. There are those who are just impatient and want to take the shortcut of walking across the street in the middle of traffic only because they don't want to walk the extra steps to get to a proper crosswalk. This will cause an accident with that person getting either seriously hurt or possibly killed.

It's More Than Paint on the Ground

There is also the drivers on the road. It amazes me how many people pull up to an intersection and instead of stopping behind the very wide white line, they move past it into the the double lined area that is marked for those to cross the street. That driver is basically ignoring traffic laws and not paying attention to what's around them.

We Need to Teach Our Kids

Yes, I've seen kids haphazardly cross a major street. That's where making these kids understand the dangers of crossing a busy street incorrectly is important. If they're not told by an adult, a parent, an older and wiser human being, then they will continue to cross improperly.

Pay Attention

More crosswalks will not alleviate the problem, we, as human beings, paying better attention to our surroundings, both walking across traffic and in our vehicles, is the only way to improve this situation. Get off your phones and follow the yellow book we all had to read during drivers education and this will be less of a worry for the citizens of Tyler and all of East Texas.