Orlando police crack down on jaywalkers

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando police spent much of Tuesday writing tickets for pedestrians crossing city streets illegally. 
 
A road marker on Semoran Boulevard at Curry Ford Road is supposed to remind people of how dangerous it can be to cross the busy road. 
 
Edgardo Vasquez died while crossing Semoran Boulevard. Police said Vasquez was at fault. But on Tuesday, two years after Vasquez's death, Channel 9's Racquel Asa saw a number of people crossing the road where they weren't supposed to.
 
"He's weaving in and out of traffic that has the light," one police officer told Asa as he described a pedestrian trying to make his way through traffic and across the street.
           
The man appeared to be trying to catch a bus on the other side of Semoran.
 
The officer pointed out a nearby crosswalk that would have allowed the man to cross the road safely.
 
By the time the man made it to the other side of Semoran, police were waiting.
           
"This is going to be a police citation for crossing in between the crosswalks," the officer told the man as he wrote out a ticket.
 
Orlando police just received a $108,000 grant to step up enforcement of the type they were doing Tuesday.
 
Over the past two years Channel 9 has reported on how law enforcement efforts to reduce pedestrian deaths has targeted drivers who fail to yield to a person crossing the street.
 
Now pedestrians are being held accountable with citations that will cost them $62.50.  
 
"Sixty-two fifty, even in today's economy is going to hurt. Sixty-two fifty, that's a nice dinner I can't take my wife out to," said Richard Ruth with the Orlando Police Department.
 
"It sure got my attention. It will work. Basically I could have gotten hit, if you think about it," said pedestrian Howard Chin.
 
Orlando police said they have plans to apply for another grant to keep the pedestrian enforcement effort going into next year. They said they will be doing the patrols at least once a week.

WFTV