Crossing the street can be dangerous in the best conditions, but a $500 fine for looking at the phone while crossing the street won't help anything, according to this editorial.
The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board has seen a few aldermen in the city of Chicago follow the lead of Honolulu (which implemented fines for crossing the street while looking at a mobile phone over the summer). Specifically, "Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, and Anthony Beale, 9th, propose to slap fines of up to $500 on pedestrians caught texting or using a cellphone while walking through an intersection."
According to the editorial, such a law "looks virtually uneforcable." More over, the $500 fine "belongs with other well-intentioned but goofy aldermanic notions, including the famous attempt to put diapers on carriage horses."
Chicago is not the only city to pile on the distracted walking bandwagon—politicians in Cleveland and Stamford, Connecticut have also mulled the idea of prohibiting distracted walking.
The Onion, at least, is more in line with the Chicago Tribune's Editorial Board, as made clear by one of their "American Voices" posts.
FULL STORY: Listen up, fellow cellphone zombies
More Cities Following Honolulu's Victim Blaming Model for Pedestrian Safety
Pedestrian blaming won't make pedestrians any safer, but cities are trying it anyways.
Illegal in Honolulu: Looking at a Phone While Crossing the Street
The Honolulu City Council approved fines for distracted walking—specifically for pedestrians crossing the street while looking at their phones.
California City Bans 'Distracted Walking'
It is illegal to operate a mobile phone to talk, text or listen to music while crossing the street in Montclair, California
Houston Apartments To Be Demolished for Freeway Widening
Despite a federal hold on the controversial freeway widening project, the Texas Department of Transportation is pushing ahead with the demolition of an apartment complex in downtown Houston.
San Francisco Just Ended Single-Family Zoning
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to Tuesday to eliminate single-family zoning, but pro-development advocates say additional changes are needed to unleash a wave of construction.
Land Banking to Prevent Transit-Oriented Displacement in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will implement a new land banking program to mitigate gentrification and displacement around future transit lines.
State Reports Seeks To Guide Warehouse Development in New Jersey
With demand for sprawling e-commerce warehouses growing, New Jersey’s State Planning Commission has released a series of documents outlining best practices for cities examining warehouse proposals.
Manhattan Congestion Pricing Could Start in 2023
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has resubmitted its environmental impact assessment to federal officials, who sent the agency over 400 additional questions earlier this year.
Whitefish ADU Ordinance Could Ease Housing Crunch
Recently approved revisions to the city’s accessory dwelling unit regulations prioritize long-term rentals to increase housing affordability for local renters.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
City of Rolling Hills Estates
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
City of Apache Junction
City of Helena
Gallatin County, Montana
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
