Seattle's pedestrians are known for dutifully waiting for the red light before crossing the road. A pilot program to start next year hopes to ensure that drivers return their favor and keep the crosswalk clear, otherwise they will face fines.

This may be a positive step for cities that want to move away from a car-centric culture.

A bill approved by the legislative agency in 2020 allows Seattle to install traffic cameras in up to 20 locations, mainly near the city center, to ensure that drivers do not "block the box," that is, obstruct intersections or crosswalks.

Eight locations will be put into use in January. Four sets of cameras monitor obstacles in the transit lane, three sets are used to find people blocking boxes, and the other set is located on Fifth Avenue in Olive Way and monitors both at the same time.

According to the Seattle Department of Transportation, all locations will have clear signs and sidewalk markings, with white lines delineating "boxes" and red paint to indicate bus-only lanes. The driver will receive the first violation warning and a $75 repeat violation ticket.

Although some of us behave differently, driving a motor vehicle does not give you any special status. You will not break the rules because you need to get where you want to go. The commute of a driver is as important as the commute of a pedestrian or public transport passenger.

When vehicles block the crosswalk-carelessly or turn right at a red light-pedestrians are forced to go around, sometimes entering traffic and crossing the road. For people in wheelchairs or blind people, the danger is magnified. According to a study by Georgetown University, more than 50% of wheelchair pedestrian deaths occur at intersections.

When a car eager to run a red light is caught at an intersection or blocked the transit lane, it can also delay buses, obstruct emergency personnel, and exacerbate traffic congestion.

In a confusing statement, three Democratic state lawmakers from the suburbs and rural areas of western Washington stated that they opposed the plan and seemed to regard their voters as unlucky ignoring established road rules.

D-Sequim Senator Kevin Van De Wege worries that people living outside the city are “unlikely even aware of the existence of such a law.” D-Port Angeles Rep. Mike Chapman admitted that he was looking at the road when he was driving. There are no signs for traffic and he may be no different from his voters in this regard. Senator Lisa Wellman of D-Mercer Island also objected because tourists may be unfamiliar with traffic patterns.

It doesn’t matter, the Washington State Department of Driver’s License — a book that every driver in the state must learn — clearly states that you should stop at a crosswalk, give way to pedestrians, and pay attention to traffic signs.

These lawmakers also ignored that their voters might eventually get out of the car and hope to cross the road safely.

There is no valid reason to oppose the pilot program. The program will help liberate the police, provide a series of safeguards to address privacy issues, and provide an appeal procedure for truck operators who accidentally block boxes. All subpoenas issued must also be reviewed by officials.

When testifying before the Senate Transportation Committee in 2020, Clark Matthews, a member of the advocacy organization Rooted in Rights, said it best: "The only argument I heard against traffic camera enforcement is that it might work," he said.

With the start of the Cube Project, Seattle drivers can make sure it does.

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