The crosswalk at Zora Dora’s and Flora Good Times, where drivers headed eastbound (toward the mountain) increasingly go around cars in front of them who are stopped at the crosswalk to let a person pass.
*Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin*

For this article, I am breaking the 4th wall and writing in the first person because this latest experience regarded my 9 year old son, but I know that business owners encounter their own near death experiences in Main Street daily. Therefore, two business contacts have been interviewed for this article, which you can read below.

Chronic Anti-Crosswalk Double Yellow Line Crossing Drivers

Willow Street and Main Street has become a regular spot for cars to do illegal U-Turns in, and now is a regular spot for people to drive around cars stopped at the crosswalk across from Zora Dora’s.

Cars coming from this direction (eastbound, toward the mountain) are increasingly going around cars in front of them who have stopped to let pedestrians cross the crosswalks.
*Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin*

Last Friday, a friend called to tell me that they had seen my son almost get hit by a car who had sped around them as they stopped at the crosswalk at Zora Dora’s to let my son cross. This behavior has increased at Willow Street and Main Street, which is where M+T Bank is.

My son was on his bike in the crosswalk at Zora Dora’s. He was correctly inched into the crosswalk on his bike to be seen. My friend stopped for him. The car behind my friend decided that he did not want to wait for a car who had stopped at a crosswalk, and he went around the law-abiding car on the left, crossing over the double yellow line illegally.

“He sped around me,” the good driver said. “Like, not even slowing down to pass with a blinker or anything. I put my arm out and blew my horn. The oncoming car went through the crosswalk too as your son was waiting to cross.”

Businesses Speak Out About “Reckless Free Range Drivers”

Not all drivers in Beacon are bad. Not all reckless drivers are tourists. Some are locals. We see you! Whoever you are, business owners see you too, as they try to do their jobs, and…live.

Beacon Bread is located at the end of Willow Street, and has a front row seat to constant U-Turning, and double yellow line crossing for impatient drivers. Kerry Soeller is the manager at Beacon Bread and Ziatun, and had this to say about her daily experience walking on Main Street to service both restaurants:

“Getting hit by a person passing a stopped car happens often to me at the Willow crosswalk and the Elm crosswalks SEVERAL times a day (I’m not joking, it’s excessive). ”

— Kerry Soeller, Manager Beacon Bread Company and Ziatun

“Getting hit by a person passing a stopped car happens often to me at the Willow crosswalk and the Elm crosswalks SEVERAL times a day (I’m not joking, it’s excessive).

“I thought the new signage would help, but I think it takes eyes off the road, where people are trying to pop out slowly behind cars because one step out and you can get clipped regardless. I am even a nervous driver anticipating that step out by pedestrians.

“I can’t speak much for the rest of my team, but I walk between Beacon Bread and Ziatun sometimes 10 times a day. More by Ziatun, I’ve experienced a handful of passing cars that almost hit me while I’m crossing over the last two years. Not sure if they think the cars that stopped for me originally were maybe trying to parallel park. And that’s really frightening, especially if I am carrying food or equipment back and forth.

“I’m all for marking the crosswalks bolder/brighter so when you’re looking at the road in front of you, it’s visible someone may be crossing on a CROSSWALK lol.”

The City of Beacon was scheduled to repaint the crosswalks on Main Street, but canceled in October, citing rain. They had wanted to repave Main Street and repaint at the same time.

Corinne Bryson, the owner of Flora Good Times, is another example of someone who is on foot a lot, and encounters near misses. Just last month, as I was pulling out of Willow Street to turn left onto Main Street (always nerve wracking because it’s hard to time with cars coming in both directions, plus pedestrians in the crosswalk when turning left), I saw Corinne start to cross the street as I was pulling out. I stopped and waited for her, but she was giving serious side-eye to another vehicle. I thought her sight was set on me, so I reached out to apologize. Her response: “I was actually peeved the the person behind the eastbound car that stopped for me to cross. The car behind began honking at the car in front that stopped for me to cross. So rude!”

Just to make sure we’re clear - what has been happening is when vechicles stop at crosswalks, sometimes the vehicle behind them honks impatiently, and are mad that the stopped vehicle is following the law. Or being a nice person. It’s really embarrassing when it happens, especially when I stop for parallel parkers, to give them space and patience. The car behind me will beep at me. I fear that the parker thinks it’s me beeping at them.

Ah well. Guess you don’t want to drive behind me, because I stop a lot! I also sometimes don’t see people if they are behind a parked car at the crosswalk corner. Additionally, I have to remember to go slow. I do like to drive, and it’s easy to step on it once the car starts and good music is playing.

Broadly, there are a lot of courteous drivers out there. If anything, hopefully this article and others in ALBB’s Traffic series serves as awareness nuggets to help keep all of our awarenesses sharp.