The Park City Police Department in early September conducted a crosswalk sting, pulling over drivers who did not stop for a plainclothes police officer walking across the street in a crosswalk.
The sting targeted drivers on Park Avenue at the crosswalk outside the Fresh Market parking lot and drivers on Bonanza Drive at the crosswalks close to the Rail Trail.
According to the Police Department, the plainclothes officer crossed Park Avenue 36 times, resulting in 15 drivers being pulled over for not stopping. The officer crossed Bonanza Drive 52 times, prompting 12 traffic stops. Between the locations, the police pulled over 30.7 percent of the drivers observed as part of the sting.
Phil Kirk, a police captain, said each of the drivers was warned instead of being ticketed.
“It certainly heightened awareness for the people who were driving in that area,” Kirk said.
Five officers were involved in the sting. One was the plainclothes officer, one videotaped the operation, two pulled over the drivers and one observed. The sting was held between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sept. 8.
Kirk said the Police Department receives complaints about drivers not stopping for people in crosswalks. He said it has been several years since the last time a similar sting was organized by the Police Department.
In a statement beforehand, the Police Department said the “primary purpose of this operation is to educate the motoring public.” The police dubbed the action “Operation Crosswalk.”
Pedestrian and bicyclist safety has long been an important issue for Parkites, and police officers regularly monitor high-profile crosswalks during their normal patrols.
City Hall, meanwhile, has taken numerous steps to make crossings safer, including repeatedly repainting crosswalks, installing pedestrian-activated signals at some locations and providing brightly colored flags for pedestrians to carry as they are crossing at several spots.
Park City officials say doing so advances their efforts to encourage more people to walk or ride bicycles between points in the city instead of driving. That reduces traffic and pollution, they say.