By: Hollie Hojek
hhojek@kcautv.com
Twelve year old Taylor Johnson and his friend, wait to cross the street in Sioux City until the sign says it "ok.:
"I wait until it says go with the little guy," said Johnson.
But it's in the designated crosswalks where 13 people got hit by cars last year in Sioux City.
"It's too many, one is too many," said Chad Sheehan, Sioux City Police, crime prevention officer.
Sioux City Police don't know what's caused the spike in pedestrian accidents, but there may be something the city can do about it.
Right now the Minnesota Department of Transportation is re-programming thousands of it's cross walks, to give pedestrians, 2-to-6 more seconds to get across the street. And for some people, a little more time to cross could make a big difference.
"If there's snow on the ground, it does takes a little bit more time for a wheel chair to make it across the street," said Carla Derner.
The city understands how adding more time could be a plus, but it also could cause more problems.
"If you add two seconds or three seconds for each crosswalk, you're adding delays for every movement of vehicular traffic," said Franklin Wagner, with the city engineering department.
Right now, only a few cross walks in Sioux City are equipped with timers. The city says it's looking to add more timers, and maybe more time.
On Wednesday, the city did meet with the Iowa Department of Transportation, not about adding more time, but adding more crosswalks in general. One area in particular, at Gordon Drive near Hy-Vee.
