A Downtown News story last week reported that Los Angeles police officers have been ticketing jaywalkers in the city's historic core and the financial district. Penalties range from a hefty $190 to an even heftier $250. Fair enough. Pedestrians, like drivers, can be careless — or reckless — and that can be a real safety problem. But what's causing controversy is that the Los Angeles Police Department is enforcing the letter of the law and ticketing walkers who step into the street during the "countdown."
What's truly insane here is the fact that giving a $250 ticket for jay walking isn't the craziest thing in this story. You're telling me it's "jay walking" if you cross the street during the countdown??? What planet am I on? The walk guy goes up for about 3 seconds then the countdown starts. Usain Bolt couldn't get across Whilshire before the countdown starts. And if you aren't supposed to walk during the countdown why the fuck is it 20 seconds? You just want to me to look at the timer like damn, I coulda got across this street twice by now, but rules are rules. Why not leave the walk guy up for 20 seconds, make the hand flash for 3 like a yellow light, then red hand? I mean, this precedent has been set. Having a countdown and not being allowed to walk during it is lunacy.
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