The stone and the pitcher.(Editorials)(Legislature should have left crosswalk law alone)(Editorial)

Byline: The Register-Guard

In the musical "Man of La Mancha," Sancho Panza warbles this nugget of folksy wisdom: "Whether the stone hits the pitcher or the pitcher hits the stone, it's going to be bad for the pitcher."

So it is with vehicles and pedestrians. Whether the car hits the pedestrian or the pedestrian hits the car, it's going to be bad - sometimes fatal - for the pedestrian.

That's why this newspaper opposed a bill passed by the 2005 Legislature that reduces the margin of safety for pedestrians in crosswalks at intersections controlled by traffic lights. The new law went into effect Jan. 1, and pedestrians would be well advised to stay …