Drivers warned: Slow for pedestrians

State bicycle and pedestrian coordinator Eric Glick looks both ways before he crosses the street. All 170 times.

That's about how many crossings it takes to drill the message into the heads of the several dozen drivers who were ticketed during a sting operation Tuesday afternoon.

Six motorcycle troopers camped out at a crosswalk in front of Carl's Jr. near the Carson Mall as Glick crossed Carson Street back and forth pointing out drivers who didn't stop as he made his way. Once tagged, errant drivers were given citations for failing to yield.

The sting is part of a statewide effort to "bring awareness that there are pedestrians out there," Glick said.

The sting operations have been well-publicized in cities statewide, including Reno, Sun Valley and Las Vegas. Carson City's last sting netted nearly 40 tickets.

"The point of doing this isn't to issue tickets," Glick was quick to point out. "It's to make people pay attention and slow down. This is a busy street."

Trooper Mark Zacha, who works the day shift on the Carson City beat, helped coordinate troopers from Carson and Reno for Tuesday's operation.

"We actually use people who work for the state," he said, explaining the agencies methodology. "They don't just jump out into the street. They start walking and make eye contact with the driver. If the driver just blows by, they get ticketed."

An increasing instance of pedestrian accidents in Northern Nevada, especially Reno, have contributed to the development of programs aimed at educating drivers.

Glick said one new development is a crosswalk system with a series of blinking lights on the ground along the painted lines. He said developers plan on installing such a system near the Peppermill casino in Reno.

Glick was responsible for a warning light at Cave Rock that notifies drivers that bicyclists are in the tunnel on Highway 50. The bicyclist simply pushes a button as he or she enters the tunnel and the lights flash long enough to allow the bicyclist to get out the other side.