The Anchorage Assembly voted on Tuesday against creating a new traffic zone downtown where Anchorage where drivers would not be able to make a right turn on a red light, when it is safe to proceed.
The Assembly debated the ordinance change that had been offered by Assemblyman Daniel Volland last October. It would have drawn a line around the downtown business district, and signs would have to be installed at every intersection where a right turn on a red light is possible, as it is nearly everywhere in America except Seattle and New York City.
After extensive debate and public comment, the decision was 7 against, 4 in favor of the new traffic law that would have affected drivers going through downtown between Third and Ninth Avenues and Gambell and L Streets.
Voting in favor of the new zone were Assembly members Felix Rivera, Meg Zaletel, Daniel Volland, and Anna Brawley.
What’s the next dumb thing The assembly is coming up with?
Another reason to avoid the extremely ugly downtown Anchorage where life has become very fragile for humans.
The wilderness surrounding Anchorage is much safer…with a large caliber handgun.
Member Volland presented this ordinance to the Downtown Community Council at a recent meeting to overwhelming opposition from the downtown community. Glad to see it failed, it wasn’t necessary and the data didn’t support the action.
Assuming you were at the community council meeting, was there ever a time when folks looked around the room and asked: “How and why did we elect this fella to the Assembly?”
Guess I’m eating crow today. I thought for certain that this was going to pass. Who’d of thunked?
Entering the crosswalk with a vehicle while a pedestrian has the walk signal is already illegal and hard to enforce. APD is overwhelmed as is, would two citations be issued?
APD doesn’t seem to be so overwhelmed that they can’t have half a dozen units on the Glenn on any given day sitting there like vultures waiting to make a few buck for the muni. Imagine the impact on crime if those units were patrolling high crime areas. Talk about a misallocation of scarce resources.
Almost rear-ended a week ago by an impatient bus driver downtown when I stopped for a pedestrian to cross.
Hey assembly, you want to make a difference? Do something about red light runners.
Can’t do it jonis…..that would be ray-cis.
What next going after drug dealers, car thief’s, shoplifters????
No,no,no let’s focus on the real issues addressing public safety……..rights on red. Cripes.
The Assembly needs to return the jaywalking laws to the way they were.
Way too many of the homeless now have total dis-regard for rules governing
pedestrian traffic. For instance, the last hit and run death a 16th & “A” Street.
Or, why not absolve motorists of all liability when a pedestrian is crossing against the light or in the middle of a block? It might sound cold but after a couple of people get hit I guarantee they would learn.
Natural selection
The old jaywalking law was never enforced and reviving it wouldn’t stop vagrants, or anyone else for that matter, from jaywalking anyway.
Now they need to put back the right turn lanes that were taken out for “traffic calming”
You will know when we’ve lost Alaska when they start requiring mandatory bike lanes and closing streets off completely to car traffic like Seattle does, so maybe the assembly wants to put that on the table next, or maybe more car charging stations , or how about some wind turbines in Cook Inlet, yes that’s what we all need next lol, yes . I agree many of these clowns running our cities are completely off their Rocker Whacko no doubt lol!!!