The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

If a clear sidewalk is available, joggers should use it to avoid traffic trouble Since there has been some back and forth "discussions" with regards to jogging on the roadway, obstructed sidewalks, and drivers' unwillingness or inability to safely negotiate other health conscious community members, perhaps some legal insight is appropriate? The Highway Traffic Act has a few sections on pedestrian traffic... I'll note the highlights: Section 140(4) reads: Duty of pedestrian ... No pedestrian shall leave the curb or other place of safety at a pedestrian crossover and walk, run ... into the path of a vehicle that is so close that it is impracticable for the driver of the vehicle to yield the right of way. Section 144 covers things such as how drivers must yield right of way to pedestrians who are lawfully within a crosswalk, where pedestrians are to cross the roadway, and how pedestrians must obey red, amber, green Const. and walk signals at intersections. Chris Section 179 reads: Where sidewalks are not Borak provided on a highway, a pedestrian walking along the highway shall walk on the left side thereof facing oncoming traffic and, when walking along the roadway, shall walk as close to the left edge thereof as possible. What does this all have to do with jogging you ask? The answer is...nothing. Unfortunately, the Highway Traffic Act doesn't speak directly to joggers, but the law can be interpreted to cover a few points. Not getting into the science of what material is best to jog on, if there is a sidewalk available, it should be used. An available sidewalk should be free of unattended children's bicycles, neglected doggydoo and the cars we don't park in our garages. Did you know a car near a sidewalk is more likely to be broken into or to have damage caused to it? If no sidewalk is available, then jogging should occur on the left side of the highway, towards approaching traffic, in a manner that won't interfere with that traffic and that fosters jogger and motorist safety. An attentive motorist, free of cell phone, makeup kits, electric razors, breakfast and so on, should easily be able to recognize an approaching jogger at the edge of the roadway and then have the time and opportunity to adjust their speed and trajectory accordingly to safely continue. There is absolutely no reason our community can't safely accommodate both muscular and mechanical forms of transportation. Contact me personally for crime prevention tips at 905-878-5511 extension 2470, or by e-mailing chris.borak@hrps.on.ca. Please reserve the 911 system for emergency calls only. --Const. Chris Borak is the community support officer for District 1