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
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