Atherton: Woman struck by car while crossing Middlefield Road

It's dangerous enough crossing Middlefield with a traffic light, but without a traffic light and in the dark... I hope the Nevada woman recovers from her injuries.

With daylight saving time ending soon, it's a good time to remind pedestrians out walking in the dark to carry a flashlight or another source of light. I walk every evening, carrying a flashlight, and am surprised at the number of pedestrians on the poorly lit streets (especially around the creek area near Allied Arts/San Mateo ped crossing) wearing dark clothing, walking with their backs to traffic, and not carrying any kind of light. I don't know why more pedestrians aren't hit.

The article doesn't say why a Nevada woman was walking in Atherton. We need some way to inform outsiders that traffic rules are different in Atherton than in most Bay Area cities. Atherton does not have the same pedestrian infrastructure that the neighboring cities have. There are few sidewalks or street lights, even on busy streets. Most intersections do not have crosswalks or even stop signs. I am not surprised that a pedestrian could be very confused trying to navigate these streets.

Traffic rules are not different in Atherton than elsewhere. Jaywalking across a busy street at 11 PM, no matter where you are, is not a safe thing to do.