Pedestrian Traffic Enforcement Crackdown Planned In Rohnert Park

ROHNERT PARK, CA — The Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety announced that in response to citizen calls about "near misses" involving a pedestrian in a crosswalk almost being hit by a car, a special-enforcement operation will be conducted Tuesday, March 5.

During the crackdown, officers will be at various intersections within the city looking for motorists failing to yield to pedestrians within marked crosswalks, according to a Rohnert Park DPS news release. Officers will also be looking for pedestrians who cross the street outside of crosswalks, when one exists, or cross against the signal, officials said in the news release.

"The focus of the operation will be to educate and enforce vehicle-code violations that contribute to collisions involving pedestrians," said Rohnert Park DPS Sgt. Jerrod Marshall.

Beyond reports of "near misses," Rohnert Park DPS does respond to each year to several collisions involving pedestrians, the sergeant said.

"Several factors contribute to these collisions including distracted driving, unsafe speed and inattention," Marshall said, adding that the Traffic Unit is "constantly evaluating" collision locations within the city and trying to mitigate as many hazards as possible.

"The Traffic Unit would like to remind all drivers to slow down, focus on the task of driving, park the cellphone, and be extremely mindful of pedestrians using crosswalks and sidewalks," Marshall said.

Funding for Tuesday's enforcement is from the California Office of Traffic Safety as part of a grant awarded to the city of Rohnert Park.