It seems, that the laws are to blame. In my country, when a pedestrian stands near a crossing tha car has to stop under penalty. Even if the pedestrian is just walking towards the crossing. Drivers usually comply.
That is the law on Ontario, all lanes of traffic must stop for someone using a pedestrian crossover (zebra crossing). The penalty for failure to comply is $1000 and 4 demerits. Fines are doubled ($2000) in community safety zones.
The law isn't to blame; driver compliance, enforcement, and road design is.
The number of people that slowly inch their bumpers towards the old lady crossing the street so they can zoom past is truly disgusting. Could you imagine treating your own mother like that?
I think when you press the button to cross a spike strip should automatically deploy directly on the stop line. Inching into the ped area with just the front tires will cost you two tires, running the light costs 4 and probably some scratches in the paint.