Woman questons fairness of crackdown

The Austin Police Department's effort to prevent pedestrian deaths include taking a hard line against drivers who ignore the law. But the sister of a man who was killed crossing a street is speaking out to make sure the pedestrian laws are fairly enforced.

Jennifer Welch of Austin said she feels like she was tricked into violating the law as she approached 11th and Waller Wednesday.

"I slowed down to about 10 miles per hour," she said. "Because I saw a police officer looking like he was going to cross the street. The police officer went back and he looked at me and I thought he was looking at me as if to tell me to keep going."

Moments later she was pulled over and ticketed.

Welch says shes fully aware of protecting pedestrians. Her own brother was killed as he was crossing Parmer Lane just a few weeks ago. She feels she got ticketed unfairly and others will be too.

"I felt like I was tricked," said Welch, " It made me very angry because I know how my brother was killed and I would never harm a pedestrian"

But police say the law is clear. As soon as a pedestrian steps into the crosswalk, cars need to stop.

At a crosswalk at 16th and Lavaca streets where pedestrians stepped onto the road waiting to cross on Thursday, many cars didn't stop because they couldn't see the pedestrians standing behind a parked car. According to law, these drivers were in violation too.