I don’t know if it’s idiocy or a complete lack of consideration/narcissism. Obliviousness seems like it wouldn’t be present what seems to be 100% of the time.
Phil
“The biggest problem people have is they don’t think they’re supposed to have problems.” - Hayes Barnard
#4475733 - 05/28/1902:18 AMRe: people crossing the Xwalk...
[Re: Ssnake]
I'm not surprised to hear that sentiment from an American, where everything seems to be designed to disincentivize walking. I've been questioned by the police in the US for simply talking a walk. The pedestrian traffic lights (at least in Orlando) are timed ridiculously short (especially for the elderly (not that I've seen any)), the distances are usually substantial, there are practically no bike lanes - in short, it's the total triumph for the car. Now, the one thing that puzzles me is why there are side walks in the first place. If you don't want humans to apply their natural mode of travel, why spend time and money to construct them?
You're impatient, and you want complete stranges to run just so you can drive faster. That's what your post above says. Not the kind of sentiment befitting a motorist, I say. Then again, there's no better combination that road range, drunk driving, and waving hand guns.
you handle Germoney... and ill handle the US... lol stay in your lane (no pun intended) LOL
[Signature deleted]
#4475734 - 05/28/1902:23 AMRe: people crossing the Xwalk...
[Re: NH2112]
I have to agree with W-Molders, Bill Grant, etc. This isn’t about whether the pedestrian crossing signals are long enough for everyone or whether the US disincentivizes pedestrians (I'd say the fact that there are sidewalks everywhere proves we don’t.) What it’s about is people taking their sweet time crossing the street in an un-signaled crosswalk, which most crosswalks are here. Signaled crosswalks are only at intersections with traffic lights, every side street has a crosswalk for it and the thoroughfare it joins. At a previous job I drove through town and went by a high school on my way home. The kids would cross wherever they wanted, shuffling along like they were in leg irons, stopping in the middle of the road to wait for friends, spacing themselves out so one was stepping off the curb as the one ahead was about to step on the opposite curb, etc.
Pedestrians in the crosswalk have the right of way, but the other part of that law, which everyone so conveniently leaves out, is that it’s the pedestrian’s responsibility to ensure it’s safe to cross before stepping off the curb. You don’t get to step off right in front of a car doing the speed limit and get the driver in trouble when he hits you because he can’t stop in 10 feet. Except you do in most cases. There’s a meme about how knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is not putting tomatoes in a fruit salad. Well, pedestrian knowledge is knowing you have the right of way in a crosswalk, but pedestrian wisdom is not risking your life exercising your right of way (which is for pedestrians IN the crosswalk, not WAITING TO STEP INTO the crosswalk.)
Bicyclists? F bicyclists. They’re the most dangerous people on the road. They ride the wrong way, don’t obey traffic signals, blow through intersections regardless of traffic, and if they get hit the motorist’s insurance pays their bills. If it was up to me bicyclists would have to register their bikes just like cars are, have licenses that can have points assessed against them for violations and which also count against their motor vehicle licenses, and carry the same minimum insurance that motorists are required to carry.
even when they have a green WALK, they take their sweet lushcious wonderful time while looking at their phones.. or LITERALLY ALMOST GOING SLOW ON PURPOSE WALKING ACROSS... .. yeha F bikes as well.. I knocked a guy out in 2001 who was on a bike and came up to my car while parking and pounded on my door saying I didn't give him enough room... they were like 5 deep and I literally had to cross the yellow to be safe...
I've noticed that folks have generally gotten lackadaisical pretty much across the board, not just in the pedestrian context.
I remember when kids at the grocery store would bag your sh1t like they were going to get laid if they did it fast enough... now they put one item in per 20 seconds.. OR MORE
[Signature deleted]
#4475736 - 05/28/1902:28 AMRe: people crossing the Xwalk...
[Re: JimK]
I've noticed that folks have generally gotten lackadaisical pretty much across the board, not just in the pedestrian context.
So true, went grocery shopping with my wife yesterday and this couple kept getting in our way no matter where we went. Like they were doing on purpose. We walked to the other side of the store to get away from them. And it was no more then 5 mn and they found us to continue it. We left. Same thing happened our other store.
when they found me again I woulda knocked the guy straight out....
I have some nice safe places to walk where I live, and they're only a 20 min. drive away.
========== Current June Car & Driver, p.32...
"Do you know what car designers hate? I mean, apart from...being required to design cars that won't slice pedestrians in half, no matter how sweet that vehicle looked in the initial sketches." ==========
Must be the reason for those awful looking blunt front ends we see on so many 'cars' today. It's a government mandated pedestrian safety feature. This (or modern-day equivalent) will never happen again...
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
I've noticed that folks have generally gotten lackadaisical pretty much across the board, not just in the pedestrian context.
So true, went grocery shopping with my wife yesterday and this couple kept getting in our way no matter where we went. Like they were doing on purpose. We walked to the other side of the store to get away from them. And it was no more then 5 mn and they found us to continue it. We left. Same thing happened our other store.
when they found me again I woulda knocked the guy straight out....
I have some nice safe places to walk where I live, and they're only a 20 min. drive away.
========== Current June Car & Driver, p.32...
"Do you know what car designers hate? I mean, apart from...being required to design cars that won't slice pedestrians in half, no matter how sweet that vehicle looked in the initial sketches." ==========
Must be the reason for those awful looking blunt front ends we see on so many 'cars' today. It's a government mandated pedestrian safety feature. This (or modern-day equivalent) will never happen again...
You got it in one, there must be enough room to absorb the impact from a wayward pedestrian without them impacting something solid like the engine block.
Chlanna nan con thigibh a so's gheibh sibh feoil Sons of the hound come here and get flesh Clan Cameron
#4475769 - 05/28/1911:04 AMRe: people crossing the Xwalk...
[Re: Ssnake]
Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 121,390PanzerMeyer
Pro-Consul of Florida
PanzerMeyer
Pro-Consul of Florida
King Crimson - SimHQ's Top Poster
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,390
Miami, FL USA
Originally Posted by Ssnake
where everything seems to be designed to disincentivize walking.
For the most part yes but there are exceptions with several of the major older cities like NYC, Boston, Washington DC and Chicago where you have a high density of people and a high density of urbanization which makes walking practical.
Last edited by PanzerMeyer; 05/28/1911:04 AM.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
where everything seems to be designed to disincentivize walking.
For the most part yes but there are exceptions with several of the major older cities like NYC, Boston, Washington DC and Chicago where you have a high density of people and a high density of urbanization which makes walking practical.
Another factor in smaller towns is the trend of “downtown” disappearing and stores moving into malls at or outside city limits.
Phil
“The biggest problem people have is they don’t think they’re supposed to have problems.” - Hayes Barnard
New Yorkers (specifically Manhattan) often don't heed crosswalk signals as time expires, they just follow the herd (until a taxi starts honking). I'd rather not have that safety-in-numbers attitude and I want to let drivers have their proper turn. Driving in NYC must be stressful enough, I don't want to be crossing illegally when someone blows a gasket.
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
#4475891 - 05/29/1901:45 AMRe: people crossing the Xwalk...
[Re: Ssnake]
In the confrontation between pedestrian and car, the car always wins.
Well at least you got this part right. What I Read WM as saying is, people at the cross walk need to pay attention and when the pedestrian light turns to walk for them, they need to expeditiously get across the dam street. Not check there ipad, cell phone and casually saunter across, or just slow ass walk because"I have the right of way". I ride road bicycles and I refuse to go on group rides or even ride with one other person because inadvertently the group or the one individual I am with want to ride tandem everywhere and they say," well the Law says we can do this!" I have stopped going by the Law of the land and started going by the Law of Physics when I ride. Me 220lbs total weight on my bike, the average car at least 3000lbs, the car wins every time. I ride by myself, I stay to the right of the white line if at all possible and I obey most every sign, light and traffic law there is, plus I yield to cars if I think I am causing congestion more than a few cars behind me. It is the same way being a pedestrian and crossing the street, go when you are allowed, do it quickly and don't be a Douche Bag and push your luck, or you will probably sooner or later get run over. The Law doesn't really matter to much if you get run over and you are dead because you were being a DB in the first place.
I've lived in Japan for 11 years, a total walking culture at least anywhere near a city.
Now in Canada for a little bit, I feel completely frightened when walking around as a pedestrian. Motorists are insane. There are no manners, there seems to be little concern for those walking and ESPECIALLY those on bicycles - I've nearly been plowed over by idiots turning left through crosswalks where I had the signal and right of way. I've had to put an air horn on my bike to stop idiots early - and invariably every ride someone tries to turn into me. This is with a very bright strobe on both the front and back of the bike, and the bike itself and my riding clothing is ferrari red.
Waiting at crosswalks is unlikely to use up more than 5 minutes of your time in any given day. Is that time really so valuable that it's worth taking risks like speeding through intersections, potentially mowing down cyclists etc.?
Find a better radio station on your car, stop listening to news radio while commuting and just enjoy the scenery once in a while.
I'm also a driver and the only thing I'll get worked up over is those stupid mile long freight trains that decide to do some coupling and decoupling practice across the only commuting road in the city. Those guys need to scram.
I'm just impressed when anyone actually bothers to use a crosswalk.
#Jaywalking4Life
In D.C. not using a crosswalk has a high chance of getting you a ticket, or just plain run down by a car. I spend a lot of time there and occasionally cross against the signal but that is only when there is nothing in sight for a good distance and I do hustle my ass across.