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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2017)
April 2017 FEATURES The Southwest Portland Post • 5 Blind walker asks motorists to be more aware of their surroundings is considered a legal crosswalk, even if there is no marking. Secondly, drivers must remain stopped for a pedestrian crossing “when the pedestrian is in your lane of travel, With distracted drivers checking in the lane next to your lane of travel, their cell phones more than their and in the lane you are turning into.” driving, it’s no wonder automobile/ If you are turning at an intersection pedestrian accidents are up. that has a traffic signal, the pedestrian Even people crossing in marked must be six feet or more from the lane crosswalks have been struck. But you are turning into. while most pedestrians can at least If there is not a traffic signal, you try to keep an eye open for drivers must wait until the pedestrian is out ignoring them in a crosswalk, it’s of the lane you want to turn into plus a little more difficult for Peggy the next full lane. McSorley. Lest you think McSorley is just not You see, McSorley is legally being careful enough, she stressed blind. She has a genetic condition that she trained with a mobility c a l l e d S t a rg a rd t ’ s D i s e a s e . I t trainer with the Oregon Commission causes progressive damage—or for the Blind for a year and a half degeneration—of the macula, which after she lost her sight. is a small area in the center of the They taught her how to listen retina that is responsible for sharp, for the traffic noise to cross safely. straight-ahead vision. She even uses a white cane, but “I am legally blind,” said shockingly, she says a majority of McSorley.” I have peripheral vision, people she meets don’t know what it signifies. “I can’t tell you how many people ask me what I have a cane for.” T h e l a w s a re very clear when dealing with the s i g h t i m p a i re d in crosswalks. The manual specifically states that you must give the right of way to a blind or partially blind pedestrian who is carrying Peggy McSorley crosses Southwest Vermont Street where a white cane or drivers often illegally cut into her crosswalk. using a guide dog. (Post photo by KC Cowan) Yo u h a v e t o remain stopped “until the person so I see only on the edges. I see has crossed the entire road, even if nothing ahead of me.” Two other you have the green light.” members of her family have the Sadly, McSorley has found very few disease as well. people know the laws. “I ask people “Usually you are born with it and I meet: Do you know you can’t turn it develops in your teenage years, but until I’m a certain distance away from in our family, it developed in middle you? And they don’t,” she said. age,” she said. Community volunteer Cynthia It forced her to retire at age 62, but Chilton gives presentations in McSorley still wants to get around road safety classes operated by and be active, and that includes Multnomah County Traffic Court. regular trips to the Southwest Chilton said part of the problem Community Center at Gabriel Park. is state crosswalk laws changed in McSorley lives in the Vermont Hills By KC Cowan The Southwest Portland Post area, near Hayhurst Elementary School, so she can walk. But lately, every time she tries to cross Vermont Street, she feels like she is putting her life in danger. “As I go north along 45th, I am walking with the light. But cars that are coming south, they don’t see me,” she explained. “And when they make a left hand turn east, they come right into the white strip of the crosswalk, and they don’t stop. I’ve actually screamed twice at cars.” Once, she said she was getting ready to step off the curb, and a woman and her child were already ahead of her in the crosswalk. “And someone actually tried to drive between us in the crosswalk,” she said. According to the official Oregon State Driver Manual, drivers must stop before the marked stop-line or cross walk, if there is one. And corner-to-corner on a street the not too distant past but most people don’t know it. “We are driving on licenses we got 20 or 30 years ago and (the state doesn’t) have a good way of educating people about new traffic laws,” she said. “There might be a flyer in your auto renewal information, or when you renew your driver’s license.” She recommends asking the city to set up a crosswalk sting at Southwest 45th Avenue and Vermont Street. “Get in the face of PBOT and tell them this is a critical intersection, that has a lot of kids crossing in it,” she added. It could take some time to set that up. In the meantime, if you see people in a crosswalk, Peggy McSorley stands outside the Southwest McSorley has a request Community Center where she regularly walks. (Post photo by KC Cowan) for you. “Know your driving laws and know the pedestrian walkway,” she pleaded. “Be aware. I would hate to have them have the consequences of hitting someone.” Not to mention the consequences for her by being struck by a distracted or uneducated driver. Hans J Manseth – Certified Financial Planner™ 503.227.4817 / hans@hjamfinancial.com Securities and investment advisory services are offered solely by Equity Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. HJAM Financial Services, LLC and all other entities and individuals are independent of Equity Services, Inc. Hans J Manseth, CFP® is a Registered Representative and Investment Adviser Representative of Equity Services, Inc. One National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT 05604 (800)344-7437 TC93339(0117)3