In another great advancement for livable streets in Illinois, the Active Transportation Alliance has been successfully advocating for a piece of state legislation that would require drivers to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks rather than just "yield." The bill passed the House last week and is currently working its way through the Senate.

Read the full bill and follow its status here: Illinois General Assembly, HB0043 and SB0030.

While the wording of this law may sound insignificant, it does make it more clear who has the right-of-way at a crosswalk and puts greater responsibility on the party with the greater ability to cause injury (the driver). We may not see the level of enforcement I'd like to see on this law when it (hopefully) passes, but it will at least help to raise awareness of pedestrian safety issues, and it can't hurt in supporting legal cases for pedestrian crash victims. It's great to see another step in the right direction following on the tails of the City's recent foray into enforcing pedestrian right-of-way with the crosswalk awareness initiatives last year. A recent Tribune/RedEye story serves as a reminder of why this legislation and enforcement is so important.