The Olds RCMP will be targeting crosswalk enforcement as part of its annual performance plan this year.
The move comes in response to consultation members have had with community members over the last year.
The two crosswalks that were specifically identified as issues were the overhead light on Highway 2A near the college and the west side of the Co-op on 54 Avenue adjacent to the McDonald's drive-thru. Both are marked crosswalks. But Morton said the RCMP will be paying attention to all crosswalks in town.
Morton speculated that the crosswalk near the Co-op is ignored because drivers are paying attention to vehicles turning out of the parking lot, the fact that nobody expects there to be a crosswalk in the middle of the block as well as people exiting out of the drive-thru.
“People are looking at other things and they've just come off Highway 27 in many cases. A lot of it is lack of awareness,” he said.
Morton said the RCMP will be doing a mixture of enforcement and education, with an emphasis on education to start with. The fine for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk is $575.
