Elderly Woman Gets Ticket For Crossing Street Too Slowly

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Elderly Woman Ticketed For Walking Too Slowly

Los Angeles, California -- An 82-year-old woman has received a $114 ticket for taking too long to cross a street in the San Fernando Valley, California.

Mayvis Coyle said she began shuffling with her cane when the light was green, but was unable to make it to the other side before it turned red.

"It turned red before I could get over. There he was, waiting, the motorcycle cop," Coyle said. "He said, `You're obstructing the flow of traffic."'

Coyle is only one of seniors at Monte Vista Mobile Estates that are upset over signals they think are too short to safely cross five lanes of traffic, the Daily News reported.

At least one of the seniors reportedly calls a cab just to cross the street.

Coyle told the paper that she has been fighting her ticket. She doesn’t have a vehicle or a telephone, and said she was carrying her groceries home when she got the ticket.

"I think it's completely outrageous," Coyle told the paper. "I can't walk without a stick and I lose my balance.

"He treated me like a 6-year-old, like I don't know what I'm doing. I'm in shock that somebody's going to stop me on a green light while crossing the street."

Los Angeles police Sgt. Mike Zaboski of the Valley Traffic Division said police are cracking down on people who improperly cross streets because pedestrian accidents are above normal. He said he could not comment on Coyle's ticket other than to say that it is her word against that of the citing officer, identified only as Officer Kelly.

"I'd rather not have angry pedestrians," Zaboski said. "But I'd rather have them be alive."

Others, however, supported Coyle's contention that the light in question doesn't give people enough time to cross the busy, five-lane boulevard.

"I can go halfway, then the light changes," said Edith Krause, 78, who uses an electric cart because she has difficulty walking.

On Friday, the light changed too quickly even for high school students to make it across without running. It went from green to red in 20 seconds.