Mary Paterson beat me to it (“Pedestrian islands waste city’s money,” letters, Jan. 26). I too was wondering about who authorized the construction and why they need to construct these pedestrian crossings on South 320th Street. I am all for safety, but painting crosswalk lines just a few feet away at the intersection would do the same job and would be a lot cheaper.

An intersection, even if not marked, is considered an unmarked crosswalk, which gives the pedestrian the right of way. To the motorist who may not be familiar with this, I suggest that people read RCW 46.61.235 and RCW 46.61.240.

It may be too late now for the two I noticed on South 320th Street, but I hope that a little more research goes into projects such as this to determine if there is a more economical way of achieving the end.

Harry M. Reichenberg, Federal Way