and here I thought it was always the case that technically you were supposed to stop if the pedestrian was anywhere in the crosswalk.
Anyway .. Fob .. disagree with you. I find when standing on a corner obviously wanting to cross the road .. the vast majority of cars just ignore me and won't stop at all. So, obviously I don't think the problem is only that pedestrians need to be more careful ... drivers need to flex their ankle a wee bit (on the brake, that is)
Edmonton's poor driver attitude to pedestrians is only exceed by the drivers in St. Albert. We might be lacking in rig-rockets out in the "affluent burbs" but in return we get inattentive soccer-parents in SUVs and vans that completely ignore the marked crosswalks. Living close to a school, here's what I see...
Parent drives kids the six blocks to school - to avoid the hordes of pedo-vans roaming the neighbourhood. Parent drives through marked crosswalk with people waiting to cross. Parent double parks and then jay-walks with their kid while hollering at other drivers to "slow down and pay attention."
Give me a ticket book and the city's financial situation would become a lot more rosy. Driving through a marked crosswalk with pedestrians waiting to cross is a $600 ticket.