Confessions of a Port Perry Streetwalker, Part 1

A few weeks ago I wrote to my local councilor, Georgina Brock, and c.c.ed the mayor and the rest of council regarding their comments in the media on "jaywalking" in downtown Port Perry. Here's what I said:

Councilor Brock,

Last week, the Scugog Standard reported that you raised the issue of "jaywalking" at council and that some of your colleagues joined in commenting on dangerous walking in the downtown.

My chief concern is that "jaywalking" is a loaded term. It originated in America in the 1920's as an insult about "jays", country bumpkins confused by busy city streets, and it was popularized by pro-automobile interests at the time. According to historian Peter D. Norton in his book, Fighting Traffic:

"Before the American city could be physically reconstructed to accommodate automobiles, its streets had to be socially reconstructed as places where cars belong. Until then, streets were regarded as public spaces… Motorists' claim to street space was therefore fragile, subject to restrictions that threatened to negate the advantages of car ownership."

And so, within a few decades we went from requiring a man to walk in front of a vehicle to warn of its approach, to legal sanctions against the reckless "jaywalker". It's this view, that the streets belong to cars and not to people, that the use of the term "jaywalking" implies.

The recent improvements to Port Perry's downtown reflect a vision of a town where the streets are public space. It's surprising then, that when people respond in a natural way to this pedestrian-friendly environment by crossing the street, some councilors are alarmed.

One of your fellow councilors called it a way of life in the downtown. We should be proud of that fact, for everything about Queen Street suggests a welcoming place for people rather than a rapid thoroughfare for vehicles.

I live around the corner from you, on Heath Crescent. I'm no expert on traffic or urban planning, but I have been walking (and driving) around Port Perry for thirty years. I'd be happy to accompany you, or any other member of council or township staff, on a walk to downtown to share what I've observed.

Sincerely,

Aeneas Lane