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
A New Transit Equity Dashboard
New data technology has made it possible to measure transit equity in ways that were impossible before. TransitCenter is making good use of the new capabilities.
Mapping Environmental Justice Hotspots
A new map of Virginia illustrates the stark contrasts in pollution burdens depending on location.
The Big Taboo of the Senate's Bipartisan Infrastructure Proposal
Ten bipartisan senators have proposed a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure deal with no new taxes, but it does include indexing the current gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, unchanged in 28 years, to inflation, thus potentially increasing gas prices.
Camiros
County of San Diego
Urban Insight
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Blakelyglobal
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Brownsville, Texas
City of Dallas
Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana
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.
