In Texas, the rights of pedestrians and the laws giving pedestrians the right of way must be strengthened and enforced. In some states, regular enforcement of pedestrian right of way laws has created a culture of motorists who routinely yield to pedestrians in the roadway. In Seattle, good results came of an assertive enforcement campaign. Aside from pedestrian laws, pedestrian traffic models are comparatively weak because they are based on limited pedestrian traffic data. This is partly because in the 1950s the entire craft of transportation engineers became intent on moving vehicles down highways and through intersections.
Traffic engineers consider crosswalks as an impediment to the smooth flow of automobile traffic.
Too often, potential conflicts between pedestrians and cars are resolved by prohibiting pedestrian crossings. Downtown Austin has one of the best pedestrian environments in the city, but there, too, cars are given preferential treatment. The short block faces make for a lively streetscape, but they also mean many crossings, and the signals are timed for automobile rather than walking speeds. The couplets of one-way streets also privilege cars at the expense of pedestrians. These four-lane thoroughfares increase capacity for cars, encourage drivers to accelerate and make more engine noise.