Mr. Perreault mentioned the need for additional laws to prohibit younger pedestrians from crossing without looking. No doubt looking before crossing is great wisdom passed down from elders to the young everywhere. Neuroscience tells us that humans in their second decade have not yet developed to the point of internalizing this lesson. It’s very unlikely that any law would change this basic rule of nature. It fact the current laws place the burden of protecting the more vulnerable among us on the motor vehicle operator, who is more likely to be older and have fully developed their faculty for caution. The law requires any vehicle to stop when a pedestrian is likely to be in a crosswalk as they pass. That includes having the judgement to sense when a pedestrian intends to cross the street and coming to a complete stop so they do so without fear.

I would like to commend our lawmakers for having the good sense to give pedestrians a free walk. Without pedestrians, much of our town centers wouldn’t exist. Bowdoin College would go out of business as they expanded 1000 fold to accommodate all the drive in classrooms. Save for the drive through lane at banks and the gas station, Brunswick’s Maine Street would be a ghost town. Pedestrians are nothing less than the economic engine that makes our towns the vibrant place we all want to live. After all, isn’t a robust local economy in everybody’s interest? Rather than putting restrictions on pedestrians, we should be doing everything we can to support this job creator.

The existing laws also require the motorist provide a minimum of 3 feet when passing a vulnerable user on a bike, in a baby carriage, running or walking. If there isn’t sufficient room, the correct response is to slow down and wait until there is sufficient space to safely pass.

Victor Langelo

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