MANCHESTER — City police officials have ordered a crackdown on pedestrians and motorists who ignore the rules of the road at crosswalks in downtown.

But the first step will emphasize education, rather than a blitz of jaywalking tickets and moving violations.

“We don't want to penalize people, we want to keep people safe,” said Lt. Maureen Tessier of the Manchester Police Traffic Division.

Patrols have been ordered to watch for unsafe behavior on downtown streets. Officers are keeping an eye out for jaywalkers who scoot out into the street while assuming or hoping that traffic will stop. They're also watching for drivers who don't realize their obligation to yield the right of way. When a violation is spotted, police will stop the offender for a conversation — and perhaps more.

“We hope to have a presence out there, to make this an educational effort at the start,” Tessier said. “We're going to have a graduated approach,”

If the reminders don't work, education will yield to enforcement, with motorists who zip around pedestrians in crosswalks earning a traffic summons. Pedestrians could see jaywalking citations.

As part of the education campaign, officers will be handing out safety cards to pedestrians and drivers who violate the law. The cards include excerpts from state traffic laws, spelling out exactly when pedestrians have the right of way and when they must wait to cross the street.

New Hampshire law provides that cars have to stop or slow down when a person in a crosswalk is on the vehicle's half of the road. But the law also says a pedestrian can't step off the curb and create an “immediate hazard.”

One section of Elm Street singled out for attention is near the Massachusetts School of Pharmacy across from Orange Street. A Manchester woman was seriously injured a couple of weeks ago when hit by a car while crossing the intersection, which is across from the school. A few years ago, a 9-year-old boy was struck by a car at that intersection.

City traffic engineers have discussed possible changes at Elm and Orange with the public safety department of Mass Pharmacy. The goal is to improve the line of sight between people crossing the street and on-coming vehicles.

“We're taking a look at that crosswalk to make it more visible to vehicles,” said DPW Director Kevin Sheppard. “We've been asked to eliminate some parking to give better visibility.”

Mayor Ted Gatsas, who has a pretty good view of downtown traffic from his City Hall office, sometimes cringes at what he sees on Elm Street below as he watches someone escape serious injury in yet another near-collision between man and machine.

“In Concord, they stop for people in crosswalks; that's not happening in Manchester,” Gatsas said recently. Hence the crackdown.

The Elm Street crosswalk outside City Hall is one of the more challenging crossings for police. It is equipped with pedestrian signaling, but pedestrians are not always inclined to stand and wait.

The signal at the intersection runs through several combinations of traffic flow before signaling the go-ahead to cross. Police that even when no cars are coming, the pedestrian faced with no traffic who crosses despite a “don't walk” symbol is technically jaywalking.

“There is a reason some crosswalks have pedestrian signals,” Tessier said.

Usually the reason is a busy intersection regulated by a combination of red and green lights and arrows.

“Inevitably a pedestrian who thinks it is safe to cross will have (a vehicle) coming from the left or the right behind them,” Tessier said.

In its early stages, the crackdown is not aimed at writing tickets, but if things don't improve, it'll start costing people money.

“We're hoping to use the next few days to get some officers out there and start with an education effort make people aware,” Tessier said. “If the problem isn't corrected, we may have to move toward enforcement.”

wsmith@unionleader.com