Police step up enforcement at crosswalks in Farmington, Michigan
The city of Farmington, Michigan, is often recognized for its walkable downtown. To keep the public safe, police are cracking down on drivers who fail to stop at crosswalks.
"I'm walking all the time down here. I do think that when you're crossing the street it can be somewhat challenging, there's no lights. You just have to be a little bit more cautious than you usually are," said Nick, an employee downtown.
Downtown Farmington is known to attract a lot of foot traffic. With the hustle and bustle, many residents say crossing the street can be tricky.
"It's kind of like the wild west, how people drive out here. People are driving fast. Eventually, after six, seven cars, they both stop, but we waited before we step out into the road because you heard people skidding," said resident Andy Paul. "I literally have to almost put my hand up and hope people say okay, let's let this family cross here."
It's concerns from citizens that include drivers who fail to stop, not enough lighting, or visibility of pedestrians that prompted Farmington Police to ramp up enforcement at the city's crosswalks.
"This is very serious because it's a safety concern for the residents. We are stopping vehicles and issuing tickets. This past Saturday, we issued seven violations within a four-hour window," said Farmington Department of Public Safety Deputy Director Shane Wash.
Wash tells CBS News Detroit that the city of Farmington's law requires drivers to stop at crosswalks when folks are trying to cross, compared to the state law that only requires vehicles to yield.
"Is this enforcement enough, or does it come down to the city needing to upgrade the crosswalks?" CBS Detroit's Alysia Burgio asked Wash.
"We started the campaign for the enforcement, for the awareness, and of course, there could always be some kind of improvement that we might be looking at down the road," Wash said.
Wash says the city's mission is to hold violators accountable, and also to educate drivers and pedestrians on the rules of the road.
"The goal is to really keep everyone safe," Wash said.
