You jay, you’ll pay

Making a run for it through traffic instead of crossing at a marked crosswalk will now cost jaywalkers big money if they are caught.
As of yesterday, jaywalkers in Edmonton will pay $250, up from $40.
“This is a behaviour that we would like people to think about and change,” said city traffic safety boss Gerry Shimko.
Shimko says a new hike is needed after Edmonton recorded an “unprecedented” number of traffic fatalities involving pedestrians.
Among the 13 fatalities involving pedestrians, four involved jaywalkers last year.
Lisa Lammi, a spokeswoman with the Edmonton police, says cops will spend the next few months mostly issuing warnings to offending jaywalkers until police are confident people are aware of the new increase.
“Not everyone reads a paper out there, that’s why we are taking a more deliberately slower approach to this,” said Lammi. “Our big thrust right now is just to educate people.”
And, if you’re driving, don’t speed. Cops all over the province are cracking down.
“When the weather is nice, people tend to drive faster,” said Lammi. “That’s why this is a very timely topic.”
In 2006, 361 people were killed in motor vehicle collisions, according to the RCMP. Twenty per cent of those deaths were linked to speeding.
“Speeding is one of the most common causes of collisions in Alberta’s streets and highways,” said RCMP traffic Insp. James Stiles, in a press release.
–jeff.cummings@metronews.ca