by Gianna Mehes
As jaywalking becomes a more serious problem at Woodbridge High School, police have begun to ticket students for not using the crosswalk on Route 35.
Woodbridge police officers have begun watching for jaywalkers before school from 7:30 to 8:15, and after school from 2:20 to 2:45.
“I think [jaywalking] has always been a problem,” Mr. Lottmann, principal of Woodbridge High School, said. “The opening of McDonald’s has obviously helped… With our location at this school, we have definitely begun to bring safety to a new level.”
It was Lottmann, as well as other administrators at Woodbridge High School, who pushed to get police to watch for jaywalkers. “We’re in a unique situation. There’s no other high school in the district that’s on a major highway. I want to make sure that whenever someone crosses there, they get to where they need to be safely.”
Lottmann said that he believes that ticketing students has become necessary, and that he is aware of an estimated 13 tickets that have been administered to students caught jaywalking across Route 35, 10 of them within the first month of the increased police presence.
According to Lottmann, there have been a few injuries caused by jaywalking over the years, including two girls who were hit by cars on Route 35. “Some people have said, ‘Oh, it’s only two,’ but that’s two too many. I don’t want that to continue here.”
When police first started ticketing students, pamphlets were distributed during homeroom to spread the word to students. During sporting or other public events hosted at Woodbridge High School, posters were placed on doorways to warn spectators not to jaywalk across Route 35, or they would also be ticketed.
Additionally, notifications were posted on Genesis to inform parents. “We try to get it out as much as we can,” Lottmann said.
Lottmann also noted how, since the threat of ticketing began, the amount of tickets given has decreased greatly.
“No hamburger is worth crossing the street and getting hit by a car, but no one thinks like that,” Lottmann stated. “But now, people are thinking ‘Is this hamburger worth a monetary fine?’ If that keeps them from crossing the street at the wrong spot, then it’s worth it.”