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White City, it�s your turn Police will test whether drivers stop for walkers at Gladstone and Antelope By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Pedestrians may not be as common outside city limits as they are inside, but drivers will be tested on how well they respond to them at a White City crosswalk today. The Jackson County Sheriff�s Department is running a pedestrian safety test at the intersection of Gladstone Avenue and Antelope Road between 8 a.m. and noon today. The intersection was selected because of heavy traffic and the probability of accidents. "We want to draw attention to the pedestrian," said Glenn Adams, traffic safety coordinator for the sheriff�s department. "They have every right to be out there � just like the vehicles. We just want them to be safe." Today�s operation is the first of five the sheriff�s department has planned countywide before the start of the school year in September. Dates have not been set for the other four, but signs will be posted at intersections 24 hours in advance, Adams said. A grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation will pay seven sheriff�s department employees to stage the five tests, Adams said. The grants were made available to 21 Oregon cities in March. ODOT asked police departments that received the money to hold one enforcement operation this week, said Rick Waring, manager for ODOT�s bicyclist and pedestrian safety program. Friday is pedestrian safety day. The sheriff�s department patterned its pedestrian safety tests after those performed earlier this year in Medford, Adams said. A department decoy will wear an orange reflective vest. The site is marked with signs, and motorists have plenty of time to stop. "This is not a sting. This is not us trying to entrap you," Adams said. Medford motorists also will face another round of the tests this month. Between 1 and 3 p.m. Thursday, Medford Police Department will stage an operation at the intersection of Central Avenue and Fifth Street. Two more will follow in the next two weeks. Officers will monitor the intersections of McAndrews Road and North Keene Way on May 23 and Main and Genesee streets on May 30. Hours are between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Officers handed out 113 citations for failure to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk during three March crosswalk stings. The ticket carries a $175 fine. Many drivers told police that they didn�t see a pedestrian or that they thought the person was a police officer or construction worker. In 2000 and 2001 combined, Medford police investigated 35 car accidents involving pedestrians, 83 percent of which resulted in injuries to the pedestrian. ODOT in 2000 reported 208 car accidents statewide involving injured pedestrians. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2002 Mail Tribune, Inc.