AUSTIN -- Austin police officers are watching for jaywalkers. A spike in pedestrian deaths prompted a two-week initiative by the Austin Police Department which began Monday.
It's the leap of faith that you will make it across the street safely.
A KVUE camera was rolling at Riverside and Congress when Glenn Vargas crossed the street on red. He was stopped by officers.
"Not the greatest moment of my life,” Vargas said.
He was lucky; the consequence was a ticket.
So far this year in Austin, 17 pedestrians have died on the roadways compared to seven deaths this time last year.
"We've had a 143 percent increase over last year for pedestrian fatalities, and so we had to do something,” said Austin Police Lt. Ely Reyes.
To combat the problem, APD officers developed a list of the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians. According to crash data from 2008 through this year, those intersections include: Congress and Cesar Chavez, 5th and Lavaca, Lamar and St. Johns Avenue, Congress and Woodward, and 4th and Congress.
Monday morning, officers began patrolling those dangerous spots.
"What we are looking for is pedestrians not crossing at the intersections, pedestrians crossing mid-block, pedestrians disregarding the stop-and-go signal, and also pedestrians crossing the highway,” said Reyes.
It is a costly lesson. Even with the $200 ticket, Vargas sees the purpose.
"It's a good thing. If things are happening, people need to know that it is dangerous, and that we should obey the law,” he said.
Officers will be out looking for jaywalkers for the next two weeks.
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