On Monday, the Powell City Council passed an ordinance limiting parking for RVs, campers and trailers — citing pedestrian safety as one of the reasons.

As a runner, I appreciate the gesture. But, if pedestrian safety is their reasoning then the goal was missed entirely. 

The summer months are still a free for all for parking those large vehicles, but summer is also when pedestrians are most likely to be out. Kids zip down the sidewalks on bikes and trikes, some less than waist high, and completely out of sight of traffic no matter what kind of vehicles are parked on the street.

Compact cars and Winnebagos are equally good at hiding kids from drivers.

Unless we ban on-street parking year-round for all vehicles, those little guys will still have to hit the brakes at each interestion — and that’s not an option.

Not even adult runners and bicyclists stop at all the intersections, so the chances of a kid doing so are even less. Drivers know how annoying it is to stop-and-go through town and the same holds true for pedestrians going faster than a walking pace.

Pedestrians have the right of way, even the annoying ones like myself who dart through neighborhoods as though they are being chased by a charging bull moose — and Powell drivers are more than aware of this.

On one occasion, I begrudgingly stopped for a truck that was approaching the intersection and not slowing down. This happens quite often; apparently it’s hard to spot a 6’1” guy in bright yellow approaching the intersection at about 8 miles per hour, so I can only imagine how difficult it must be to spot the little guys on the sidewalk.

What happened next is extremely rare. The driver pulled around and met up with me about three blocks later and apologized for not stopping.

I was really blown away by the polite gesture, but also concerned since a driver that polite obviously didn’t mean to cut off a pedestrian and was aware that the last thing any runner ever wants to do is stop — much like a kid on a bike.

It also got me wondering about how many drivers are aware of the traffic that’s parallel to the road.

I run on the sidewalks whenever possible. About the only time I run on the street is when there is no sidewalk or if there is a sprinkler going and I’d rather not get my iPod soaked.

Typically I go for long runs between 3 and 10 miles, depending on the weather and my mood, and I’ll keep about a 7-8 mph speed. This may not seem fast when compared to a vehicle going 25 mph in town, but comparing a car to a 180-pound guy is not exactly a fair comparison in visibility.

Now let’s cut that visibility in half when thinking about kids out playing. A kid on a bike or scooter is often faster than I am on foot, and much lower to the ground.

The majority of the kids I see out around town stop for each intersection and look both ways. But, when the adrenaline and endorphins from exercising kick in, common sense goes right out the window.

I’ve crossed many streets without looking both ways because after a few miles of running it becomes all too easy to just zone out and keep going. I’d compare it to feeling like a kid again, where anything outside my immediate vicinity might as well be on another planet.

Should I run down Lane 8 again this week?

This song is really good!

I hope the next drinking fountain works.

Look at that bird!

Jump over that thing — OK, now run really fast!

Did I just cross a road? I don’t know and I don’t care — hey look, it’s that bird again!

I’m not saying pedestrians aren’t equally responsible for preventing accidents. But, I am saying that some pedestrians are hard to see and others are pretty oblivious no matter how old they are.

As a runner, I’m glad to see something get done about the campers parked along the street. But I question its effectiveness if pedestrian safety really was the goal, since many pedestrians will be indoors by the time the streets are cleared.