82-year-old’s $114 jaywalking ticket under fire

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

LOS ANGELES - Mayvis Coyle got more than just a $114 jaywalking ticket for taking too long to cross a busy street.

With the 82-year-old woman’s fine has come international celebrity — she has camera crews showing up at her home, invitations to appear on television and support from around the world.

“I didn’t want all this publicity,” Coyle said Thursday. “But I’m not objecting to being used if it gets the lights changed and gets respect for the elderly.”

Los Angeles police officials say Coyle entered a busy San Fernando Valley intersection on Feb. 15 after the red “Don’t Walk” sign began blinking. They say the department is cracking down on wayward pedestrians because an increasing number of them are being killed by cars.

Coyle says she began shuffling across the intersection with her cane in one hand and groceries in the other on a white “Walk” signal. The great-great-grandmother plans to fight the ticket.

Her plight has drawn attention from blogs such as the Drudge Report and media around the world. “STICK YOUR FINE,” Scotland’s Glasgow Daily Record said.

Now, camera crews show up at Coyle’s trailer unannounced, asking her to tell and retell her story. Because she doesn’t have a phone, the trailer park’s office manager has been taking messages; “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” called Thursday, wanting to book an appearance.

People who e-mailed the Los Angeles Daily News, which first reported Coyle’s story on Monday, generally agreed that the officer should have simply escorted her across the street.

“Where are the Boy Scouts when you need them?” wrote one reader from Washington state. “This is so beyond ridiculous!”

The office of City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo is reviewing Coyle’s ticket, spokesman Frank Mateljan said.

City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel has directed transportation officials to figure out how to make signals longer near senior housing and community centers. They’ve already lengthened the walk light at the intersection where Coyle was ticketed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11072378/?GT1=7938

[iceyspots 0]

lol........ My friend got a jaywalking ticket in Montreal... she just paid the money and said forget about it... Too embarrassing to tell people she's going to fight it

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I got "cautioned" for jaywalking in Culver City once -- was lucky not to get a fine, which my colleagues have for $80. California Uber Alles.

I wonder if the jaywalkers got killed by someone who was DRIVING like an idiot -- people in Los Angeles are quite possibly the most retarded drivers in the country.

The walk sign usually lasts for all of 30 seconds - this is the least pedestrian-friendly place you can think of

[sparkofcreation 0]

I wish they'd give jaywalking tickets here. Today an elderly man with a cane decided to cross the (major) road I was driving on—not at an intersection, mind you, but about 25 yards from it—bringing six lanes of traffic to a halt for a full minute. The light may have been red when he started, though as I said, he was quite far from the actual intersection (and he was crossing in a direction that the cars would be coming towards him and towards the light when he started). But it had definitely changed by the time he got to the center of the road and the cars on my side started moving up the road.

People around here are really nice, no one honked or anything ... but you would think that especially if you walk with a cane and take a long time to cross the road, that you'd do so at a crosswalk and made sure you started as soon as the light changed.

Lights around here tend to be well-timed and all have the countdown clock that tells you exactly how long you have left.

Edited April 15, 2006 by sparkofcreation

[Jaylen Brit 0]

As I'm quite used to dodging traffic, living near London and having lived in Sydney as well, I wasn't that shocked to get 2 warnings for 'jaywalking' in LA, one in Las Vegas and one in Miami. Luckily I just smiled at the (very sweet) cops who 'caught me', explained I was English, and they let me off with a 'use the crosswwalk next time and have a nice day' caution

Godd idea tho to extend crosswalk times in areas of seniors..most of em can't cross in the time the normal ones take.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

As I'm quite used to dodging traffic, living near London and having lived in Sydney as well, I wasn't that shocked to get 2 warnings for 'jaywalking' in LA, one in Las Vegas and one in Miami. Luckily I just smiled at the (very sweet) cops who 'caught me', explained I was English, and they let me off with a 'use the crosswwalk next time and have a nice day' caution

Godd idea tho to extend crosswalk times in areas of seniors..most of em can't cross in the time the normal ones take.

Always use the zebra crossing

[Aymerlu 3]

Here it seems it's always the older population that just walks out in front of you!