What to expect from Front Royal’s new jaywalking initiative

The stretch of N. Shenandoah Avenue between 14th Street and the South Fork Bridge is one of two Front Royal entranceway corridors that have proved fatal to pedestrians in recent years. Courtesy Graphics Town of Front Royal

On Monday evening, August 27, the Front Royal Town Council unanimously passed the second and final required reading of a code change adding jaywalking as an offense by local ordinance.

As explained in work session discussion leading up to the first vote, jaywalking is illegal by state code.  However, prosecuting it as a local code violation gives a municipality more in the way of fine revenue – though town officials have stressed that issuing citations to generate local revenue is NOT the goal of the new town ordinance.

Rather, the move as part of a comprehensive pedestrian safety campaign is being pushed as a somewhat more aggressive educational tool for the public.  Police Chief Kahle Magalis has stated that educating and deterring the public from dangerous pedestrian decisions like walking out from between parked cars into traffic is the primary goal of the local jaywalking ordinance.

As Royal Examiner noted in earlier coverage of the jaywalking initiative, the town has suffered three pedestrian fatalities within a one-year period within the past two years, as well as several non-fatal vehicle striking pedestrians or bicyclists accidents in the past year.

A proposed pedestrian-activated stop light for N. Shenandoah Avenue

The three fatalities happened on high traffic volume entranceways on the town’s north and southeast sides.  Two occurred on the eastside entrance from Linden on John Marshall Highway/South Street east and west of Commerce Avenue, respectively; the third on North Shenandoah Avenue between 14^th Street and the South Fork Bridge.

The town has repainted existing, and created some new, pedestrian crosswalks and plans additions to pedestrian-activated traffic signals as part of its STOPS (Smart Towns Observe Pedestrian Safety) campaign.

One change added prior to Monday’s second vote enabling the local jaywalking code allows town police to issue jaywalking citations as either Class 4 Misdemeanor criminal offenses as they are classified by state law – punishable by a fine up to $250; or as a less serious traffic citation, which carries a maximum fine of $100.

Town Attorney Doug Napier, far left, responds to Councilman Sealock’s concerns about repeat jaywalking offenders. Sealock is seated fourth from left. Photo/Roger Bianchini

Councilman William Sealock, who has been council’s main proponent of the STOPS campaign, expressed concern at the traffic citation option as it might apply to “repeat offenders”.  Sealock worried that a harsher penalty should be in line for citizens who fail to heed pedestrian safety advice.  Town Attorney Doug Napier explained that the Class 4 misdemeanor criminal citation option with its $250 max fine was that harsher option in the code proposal.

In an earlier Royal Examiner video interview FRPD Chief Magalis promised that common sense would be used in enforcement – and that his officers would not be issuing jaywalking citations in non-threatening neighborhood situations where little or no traffic was present.

Chief Magalis provide an update: