Getting in step

They seem to come out of nowhere -- from behind parked cars, out of stores and restaurants. They're all-season creatures, but they become more prevalent during fair weather, gathering along sidewalks and gabbing at street corners. Sometimes they are shy, stepping hesitantly off the curb. Other times they move in large, oblivious herds.

It is once again the season of the pedestrian, and some Valley residents seem to be unsure just what do with them.

If you stop your car and wave them on, sometimes they cross the street and narrowly miss getting run over by a vehicle in the oncoming lane. Other times they simply wave back and remain standing on the sidewalk, even when you don't see any other cars on the street. You wait, wave again, they wave again, so you drive on. So maybe the next time you don't stop at all, figuring you'll avoid the hassle all together. Unless, of course, you have been on the other side of the crosswalk.

"It's a two-way street between the pedestrian and the motorist," said longtime Palmer resident Bill Mitchell. "I'm both … probably being a walker, more than others I

appreciate the position they are in."

The position of the pedestrian can be a dangerous one. It means being vulnerable and exposed, trying to navigate a way through speeding vehicles without the protection of steel and glass. And here in the Mat-Su Valley the pedestrian is also often without the protection of crosswalks, strictly enforced laws, or even the awareness of motorists.

To some extent this is changing,

with the improvement of sidewalks, bike paths and traffic signals. Police say pedestrian-traffic accidents are rare, and officials from both Palmer and Wasilla say they think of their cities as being pedestrian friendly. Not everyone, however, agrees.

The law …

People driving and walking in the Valley witness close calls year-round. Earlier this spring, a young girl was trying to cross a busy street in downtown Palmer. She wasn't at a crosswalk, but a concerned motorist stopped and waved her on. She ran in front of the car. Another motorist coming up behind the stopped car didn't pause or look ahead, but veered around, slamming on the brakes at the last minute just as the child darted in front of the bumper.

In another instance in Palmer, a woman on a bicycle with a child in a seat on the back waited for a green light and then cautiously proceeded, only to have a vehicle pull swiftly up to the intersection and turn right without looking, nearly striking the bicycle.

Such encounters are not uncommon in Wasilla either. Earlier this spring a pedestrian was observed trying to cross Main Street, again not at a crosswalk. The walker ended up stranded for several second on the centerline as cars zipped by in either lane.

So who is responsible for these dangerous situations? Those in the car and out, according to police and pedestrian advocates.

Unlike some areas of the United States, Alaska traffic law regarding pedestrians is limited and fairly simple. Basically, if there is a crosswalk, the pedestrian has the right of way. If there isn't, they don't and must give way to all vehicles. Bicyclists, on the other hand, are expected to travel with traffic and obey traffic laws.

Therefore, the walkers attempting to cross in the middle of the street are breaking the law, or jaywalking. The bicyclists obeying the green light has the right of way, as do the walkers and joggers often observed waiting at the four-way stop in downtown Palmer.

While these pedestrian-vehicle laws are broken presumably on a daily basis from one end of the Valley to another, both Palmer and Wasilla police admit it is not something they do anything about. Neither police chief could recall an officer ever writing a ticket for such a violation.

"I'd never say never," Wasilla Police Chief Don Savage said. "But I can say I've never written one. It can be enforced, but it's just not a high priority."

Palmer Chief George "Russ" Boatright seems to share this view, and both chiefs pointed out that despite a lack of enforcement, there simply aren't that many pedestrian-vehicle accidents in the Valley, and when they do occur, police say typically alcohol is involved either on part of the motorist or the pedestrian. This was the case with several fatal accidents in Anchorage during recent years.

According to a study done by the advocacy nonprofit The Environmental Working Group, the Mat-Su Valley averaged one pedestrian fatality per year from 1986 to 1995, compared to six per year in Anchorage. According to the same study, nationwide around 6,000 pedestrians are killed by motorists each year.

And in each of the states where these accidents occurred, pedestrian laws vary greatly. In some places, particularly East Coast urban areas, pedestrians always have the right of way and motorists generally respect the laws. Wasilla Mayor Dianne Keller recently returned from a trip to Washington D.C. and said she was surprised by how brave pedestrians were.

"People just hop right off the curb," Keller said. She said motorists dutifully follow the law, in part because of stiff fines that are imposed on those who break it. Despite the surety of D.C. pedestrians, Keller admitted she retained her Mat-Su Valley ways and stepped carefully onto the street. "I wasn't at the front of the pack. The fine does you no good if you're splatted," she said.

And this seems to be the overriding message of law enforcement and pedestrian advocacy groups -- regardless of the law, safety should be the primary concern. Being in the right doesn't protect pedestrians from the thousands of pounds of steeling bearing down on them. At the same time, being on the right side of the law most likely won't make motorists feel any better if they injure a jaywalker.

The reality …

Most days at lunch, Ken Hudson leaves his post in code compliance at the Mat-Su Borough building and heads across Palmer for lunch. He walks in the summer time, he walks in the winter. He walks when it's sunny, and when it's cloudy. He walks for fitness and for a mental respite. And like most dedicated walkers, he has a good sense of his own vulnerability on the street.

"As a pedestrian, you had better watch out," Hudson said. He said while he finds the vast majority of Palmer drivers to be courteous, he admits he has had his share of close calls. In some cases, the motorists were to blame, in others he was at fault. Either way, he recognizes his well being rested within his own hands.

"It's up to the pedestrian to be visible and pay attention to motorists," he said.

This seems to be particularly true in Alaskan communities, where drivers might not be as used to interacting with walkers and bicyclists as in urban areas farther south. Here, many months of the year cold, snowy weather drives people off the sidewalks. When spring arrives and everyone drags out their walking shoes, bicycles and push scooters, people have to readjust their driving skills and begin watching for something other than moose crossing the road.

"It's not that they are less courteous. They just don't deal with pedestrians as much and are less aware," Boatright said.

The same can be said of some pedestrians, however. Each summer, groups of visitors migrate in small groups across Palmer streets. Often they don't make it clear to motorists which street they are trying to cross, if they are trying to cross at all.

"The tourists stand around chit-chatting and you can't really tell what they want to do," Boatright said. "Sometimes the rest of us do that, too."

Instead, pedestrians should approach a crosswalk cautiously and attentively, Boatright advises, and they should make it clear which street they want to cross.

Hudson says this is the approach he uses on his daily walk.

"There is a lot of nonverbal communication … I do try to make eye contact with drivers," Hudson said.

Once you've made eye contact with one driver, you can't assume all is clear. The next step is to look right and left, just as you were taught as a child, and make sure no other vehicles are approaching. If they are, make sure those drivers also see you.

"The biggest factor is people just being aware of their surroundings, walking and looking around," Boatright said. "People should walk with their head up and be aware of what's going on around them, and that will serve them not only in traffic but will also lessen the potential of them becoming victims of other crimes."

Being attentive could also save you if a motorist is not obeying traffic laws. Because motorists might not remember from their driving test that pedestrians have the right of way at a cross walk, it is up to the pedestrian to watch out for them.

"When you've got the little green guy, you've got the right of way," Boatright said of the traffic light signals. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't pay attention."

Another cold, hard reality from the streets … jaywalking is illegal and sometimes very dangerous, but other times it is a necessity. When faced with the confusing fiasco at the four-way stop in downtown Palmer, more than one pedestrian has opted to carefully cross the street midway down the block where the traffic isn't as congested.

"I confess I've done it before," Boatright said. And the Palmer chief has a theory -- sometimes pedestrians are more cautious, and so safer, when they are jaywalking. Again, the key is attentiveness, looking both ways, paying attention to motorists and watching out for police. After all, it is against the law.

Pedestrian friendly?

Walking makes for healthier, more social, safer communities, according to groups such as America Walks. It cuts down on obesity, pollution, car expenses and traffic problems. With all this to offer, most communities would like the label "pedestrian friendly," but earning such a title involves much more than just waving as you drive by your jogging neighbor. It is a planned, complex, sometimes expensive approach to developing a community that more and more Valley residents are advocating.

"I guess Alaska is not overly friendly to pedestrians. And that's a shame, I think," admitted Savage. He points out that many of the bike paths and trails used by pedestrians are also frequented by snowmachines, motorcycle and four-wheelers. Within the towns themselves, often the facilities are spread out and difficult to get to by foot. At the same time, motorists are not as familiar with pedestrian law as they should be, and neither are the pedestrians.

While Keller defends her city of Wasilla as being "pedestrian friendly," saying that she often enjoys walking the sidewalks near city hall, the town bears many of the flaws criticized by pedestrian advocates. While many of the streets do have sidewalks, Main Street, which could be considered a downtown thoroughfare and goes past the library, museum and many businesses, does not have a sidewalk and few crosswalks on the street are clearly marked.

At the same time, much of Wasilla is made up of small malls linked by the Parks Highway, one of the state's major highways with traffic traveling at high rates of speed.

Many people, including Savage, point to Palmer as one of the better examples of a "pedestrian friendly" community in Alaska. Downtown is fairly concentrated and the streets are lined with sidewalks. Crosswalks are relatively prevalent, and the motorists travel at a slower speed.

"I would say that although we have our deficiencies, we are better than most," said Palmer Councilman Tony Pippel. Especially in the core area, he said, pedestrians are finding more and better maintained facilities, such as sidewalks and bike paths. The farther out of town you go, the less pedestrian friendly the area is.

"Up until fairly recently, there hasn't been a real need," Pippel said. "But there is now."

Pippel said he has observed during recent years a growing interest in making Palmer more hospitable for walkers, joggers and bicyclists. He said he has seen more residents in their 20s and 30s attending public meetings about trails and planning, and emphasizing their desire for these improvements. At the same time, pedestrian friendly communities can serve more than just people in their prime interested in a fit lifestyle.

Pippel points out that a wide array of people, from the under-16-years-old crowd to the elderly, from the disabled to the poor, also have an interest in the development of sidewalks and crosswalks. And many more people who might not fight for these improvements end up enjoying them once they are in place.

"It's like a lot of things … if it's convenient, you'll do it," Pippel said.

While Palmer residents have been known to complain about the sidewalks being icy or not cleared of snow as quickly they would like, Pippel said the council and city management have made it a priority to improve these services in recent years.

At the same time, the city is adding more sidewalks as it completes numerous street-paving projects around town. And as a part of the Palmer Urban Revitalization Plan, a bike path is in the works that would extend the length of town in the railroad right of way.

These are the types of improvements groups such as America Walks claim are key to making walking easier in a community. But they come with a price tag, one that the mayor of Wasilla said she doesn't want to force on taxpayers.

"We should allow the people who are paying the bill make the choice," Keller said. She said when neighborhood streets are paved, the adjacent homeowners decide if sidewalks should be part of the package.

But others, such as Pippel, view sidewalks as an important quality of life issue, and one for which he will continue to advocate.

In the meantime, people such as Bill Mitchell and Ken Hudson will continue to walk, rain or shine, sidewalks or none. And they'll keep their heads up, watching out for motorists just as they, hopefully, watch out for them.