Move along: Phoenix outlaws standing in medians
Nov 20, 2014, 10:32 AM | Updated: 10:32 am
PHOENIX — Pedestrians beware: it is now a crime in Phoenix to stand in a median strip.
The city council amended an ordinance that went into effect Wednesday through an emergency clause, local TV news reported.
Medians are popular spots for panhandlers and roadside vendors.
Jaywalking is already illegal. The city council noted in an afternoon agenda that there were 147 jaywalking-related deaths and injuries last year.
Citing safety concerns, the city code section for crossing a roadway was changed to include:
No
pedestrian may stop or remain in the portion of the roadway designed for vehicular use or in a
painted or raised traffic island or median not designated for use by pedestrians except to wait to cross
the roadway at the next pedestrian signal or, in the absence of a pedestrian signal, when traffic has
cleared or yielded.
There are exceptions: people waiting for light rail and utility and maintenance workers, among others.
A first offense would carry a fine of $250, which matches the jaywalking fine.
A springtime study by a nonprofit organization, Smart Growth America, placed metro Phoenix in the top 10 for U.S. pedestrian injuries and deaths.
