HALLIE EPHRON: When I was growing up in Los Angeles, you could get ticketed for crossing the street in the middle of the block, and it could be a long walk to a crosswalk in a community defined by the automobile.
If you were a good girl like me and you reached the corner and the light was red, you waited. And waited. Crossing against a red light just wasn’t done. And woe be to you if you wore white or black patent leather in the winter. Never mind that winter feels a lot like summer in Los Angeles.
When I arrived at college in Manhattan, I was completely nonplussed by the way people just darted across the street mid-block or in the face of a DON’T WALK light.
Recently I took heart, reading that jaywalking is no longer illegal in California. Gov. Gavin Newsome recently signed a bill that, starting in January 2023, Californians can cross the street where they choose, if they can cross safely.
Things do drift in the direction of sensible occasionally. Though often it’s with laws (no smoking; pooper scooper…) that tighten rather than loosen the rules.
Is jaywalking legal in your neighborhood? Is public sentiment finally starting to favor the pedestrian over the driver? And what do you think, is life getting more regimented or less?
LUCY BURDETTE: I mostly follow those rules. But I have to say, the tourists in Key West PAY NO ATTENTION TO ANY RULES, including red lights and one-way streets. It bothers me because it’s dangerous (annoying, too, if you’re the one driving.) We have a lot of pedestrian and bicycle accidents.
I don’t mind rules that keep us safe because otherwise people act in crazy ways. (I surely told you about the time I was pulled over by two KW police WHEN I WAS ON MY BIKE! Apparently, I’d run a stop sign. I got off with a stern warning LOL.
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I am so guilty of it, and it all depends on how quickly I need to get somewhere, I guess It’s so much safer! . My husband is an inveterate jaywalker, he'll just go whenever he wants to go, and I have to admit it kind of drives me crazy. My conscience tells me to go to the crosswalk, and really, it's not that much more difficult.
I remember being in Rome, where crossing the street was beyond treacherous... it was like pedestrians would wait until there was critical mass, and then face the oncoming hordes of crazed drivers, and then just... go. Like: here we come, you can’t possibly kill us all.
There's a great story about when Dwight Eisenhower was president of Columbia University, and he would leave the school late at night, and someone said that he would, even if there was no traffic whatsoever, go to the corner and wait for the light. Now that’s discipline.
When I am driving, or even a passenger, I will admit I shriek at jaywalkers. It is just so dangerous from the inside the car point of view! Everybody thinks everybody can stop and will stop, and... they just won't, sometimes.
Or can’t.
The whole thing is lawless now, anyway. Speed limits? Ha. So jaywalking, for which there are reasons for the rule, I agree, Lucy, seems laughable.
JENN McKINLAY: I remember taking the Hub to Boston just after we were married. He was aghast that people would jaywalk and cars would honk and the people didn’t care. He thought it was mayhem!
Phoenix downtown is not huge and the light rail goes right through it so we don’t see a lot of jaywalkers unless they’re racing to the platform.
I’m a jaywalker. I admit it. Places to go, people to see, and whatnot. Sorry not sorry.
RHYS BOWEN: I lived in Central London, behind Oxford Circus, when I worked for the BBC so I was an expert jaywalker. I was used to crossing between buses and taxis. So New York has never been a problem for me. I find it comes back quite quickly when I’m in either city although I have to admit that I am more hesitant to jaywalk in London these days as the traffic is crazy.
It’s a cultural thing. I was once on a book tour in Minneapolis. They flew me in on Sunday. I went for a walk downtown. Not a car in sight. The whole place was dead, except for one elderly couple who stood at the curb waiting for the sign to change to WALK.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Jaywalking is actually against the law in Texas, although I don't know how often that law is enforced. We're not a very pedestrian society unless you're in city centers. It is, however, dangerous even in the suburbs, as I can personally testify.
When I was fourteen I crossed a main street outside of a controlled intersection and was struck by a car. Spent a month in the hospital with a broken pelvis and head injuries, and I was lucky it wasn't worse.
It was kind of a freak accident, but to this day I'm very careful crossing streets. Jaywalking is NOT illegal in the UK, but even at the zebra (special pedestrian) crossings, I make sure that the traffic is really going to stop.
HALLIE: My goodness... Debs, that is a cautionary tale. Like when your grandmother tells you not to cross your eyes because they'll stay that way. Then you do. And they do.
So what do you think about jaywalking? Is it legal in your part of the world or a ticketing offense and do you toe the line(s)?
Debs, that's truly scary.
ReplyDeleteTechnically, jaywalking is illegal, but we still see people doing it. If there is no traffic, it doesn’t much matter, but it certainly doesn’t make sense to play chicken with the multitudes of crazy car drivers there are today . . . .
I once had a car nearly run me down when I was in the cross walk, crossing with a green WALK sign, and she was making a free right-turn on red. Nutso.
DeleteRecently we moved from Sacramento CA to Braga, Portugal, before Gov. Newsome signed the bill allowing jaywalking. But my husband has always been a zebra crosser anyway, and you are right about how jaywalking is scary to a driver. But here in Braga? Whew. It's just as Hank Phillippi Ryan described Rome. Stop lights mean nothing to either pedestrians or drivers. Often it's like a game of chicken - the driver seeing how far he/she can inch around the the turn while pedestrians have green; pedestrians walking with confidence against the red, almost daring drivers to try. It's truly amazing.
ReplyDeletePortugal! My memory of driving there was that when there was an intersection, most drivers just lay on the horn and gunned it. Ignoring any signage or lights. Dangerous to drive, dangerous to walk.
DeleteYou are so right: Dangerous to drive, dangerous to walk. My husband won't even drive in town. And we've both learned to look both ways when crossing even a one-way street. Aside from the car/pedestrian phenomenon, we absolutely love Portugal.
DeleteI believe jaywalking is illegal in NYC, but tell that to NYers who will cross the street no matter where if they can do it safely. But with the advent of looking at your phone will walking, that should be illegal.
ReplyDeletePrior to my mobility issues, if I needed to cross the street and saw no cars, I would jaywalk, otherwise I would go to the corner and wait unless there is no traffic. Now, I go to the corner and wait for the light to change.
In manhattan people look at you like you're nuts if you DON'T cross against the red when there's a gap in the traffic. When I was in Brooklyn a few weeks ago I noticed something new: when the light changed, the WALK sign came on for pedestrians about ten seconds before the GREEN light came on... Gave you chance to get out there in the crosswalk and seen. Made sense.
DeleteI also grew up as a southern Californian terrified of being arrested for jaywalking. I've lived in West Africa and Brazil where anything goes.
ReplyDeleteJapan, on the other hand, is very orderly, as you can imagine. I learned from the school children there to raise my hand above my head when crossing a street. It really helps the short among us to be seen.
And then there's Boston, Somerville, Medford. Yikes. Up here on the New Hampshire border, though, people are a lot nicer. Most cars stop for anyone trying to cross a road, whether at a crosswalk or not.
Yes, people can be nice... even in Boston.
DeleteNo, I am a goody two-shoes and do not jaywalk in Ottawa or in any city I visit. Being a Safety Patrol Crossing Guard at my elementary school in Grades 5-6 imprinted on me the need to follow the rules of the road. And frankly, when a vehicle hits a pedestrian, the pedestrian usually loses.
ReplyDeleteSchool crossing guards should get a medal, imop. When our local schools get it wold be mayhem without them to control the kids and the cars
DeleteHallie, Agreed that school crossing guards should get medals. Tough job! I always slow down whenever I see crossing guards.
DeleteDiana
Grace, I am a goody two shoes too. LOL. Diana
When I was on School Safety Patrol in 6th grade our job was to stand on the curb and put our arms out to hold the students back from crossing until no cars were coming or they had stopped. Different town and state, but when my children were crossing guards, they went out into the crosswalk with a flag to stop the cars and allow the students to cross. Much more dangerous in my opinion.
DeleteBRENDA: Yes I wonder now what were they thinking in terms of OUR safety? When I was on safety patrol in Toronto, we were in pairs. I/my partner had to walk into the street with the orange flag to ensure the cars stopped before signaling the students to cross. The other memory was being very cold standing outside in the winter. I wish I had worn longjohns.
DeleteAs a driver, I have encountered my share of jaywalkers. I almost hit this petite lady who jaywalked and I honked because it terrified me! Luckily, I was driving within the speed limit. I think it said 25 mph and I was driving at 20 mph?
ReplyDeleteNo, I am a goody two shoes and do not jaywalk. However, I was on a date with this man who is TALL (6'4") and he suddenly jaywalked with no warning. He took my hand and we jaywalked. It was the last date, definitely! I am not Tall so I do not think drivers would see me if I jaywalkee.
Hallie, I remember crossing the street in Westwood Village (Los Angeles area) and I noticed the walk sign suddenly changed to Do Not Walk sign. Pedestrians did not have enough time to cross the street unless they walk very fast! And my 70 year old Great Aunt was a very slow walker. When I was a child, age 70 was different from being 70 these days with medical advances, changes in diet and lifestyle habits.
Deborah, that is a cautionary tale! And you survived!
Diana
I had to look this up on a legal-type site: "In Canada, Jaywalking is legal until a pedestrian walking outside of designated pedestrian areas interfere with traffic. This means that as a pedestrian who is crossing without a crosswalk, you must yield to motorists on the road." As GRACE says, pedestrians tend to lose against vehicles, so jaywalking is a dangerous thing to do. In Winnipeg, we've had several pedestrian/vehicle accidents recently with the pedestrian being killed -- and some of them were at crosswalks! We are definitely not a pedestrian-first city, I'm afraid. (Though we're slowly building bike paths for cyclists.)
ReplyDeleteI think the bikes will get accommodated before the people. And don't get me started on those electric bikes! Saw many near collisions in NYC where there's a ton of them, ignoring the lights completely, and even going on the sidewalks. I just saw a college somewhere banned them from the campus. My 6-year-old grandson was hit by one in his local park. A topic for another day...
DeleteHey, friends, this is Switzerland! Of COURSE jaywalking is illegal. And drivers stop at zebra crossings, too (although people do get killed on them even here, so I never just stride out but instead wait for cars to stop.) My husband, the Swiss, is an inveterate jaywalker despite the law, but I walk to the corner and cross at the light or go to the crosswalk unless not a car is in sight. And even then I make sure no parents with small children are around--parents here expect other adults to set a good example and will yell at people who don't (and I don't really blame them). Swiss are also very good about waiting for the "Walk" sign at the light, no matter what the state of the traffic is. We (I AM a Swiss citizen, even if I still think like an American) are almost as law-abiding as the stereotype would have us be. Except for the Swiss banks--but that's another story.
ReplyDeleteSwitzerland has always been one of my favorite places to travel just because of that rule-abidingness of the general public. None of the anxiety associated with trying to cross a street in Lisbon or Paris.
DeleteFrom Celia - Kimhays, quite off topic but I want to say I love your comment, I am Swiss but I still think like an American. For me it’s born a Brit, adopted American (30 year citizen), but yes I still think like a Brit, and according to strangers around me, sound like one too! You can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl.
DeleteKim, I never just assume that drivers will stop at the zebra crossings. I'm sure it's very irritating to the drivers.
DeleteThe original Candid Camera(probably in the 1950's) had an episode where one of their regular actresses (wish I could remember who, I think her last name was Collins) stepped off the curb in LA and in NYC.
ReplyDeleteThe experiment was to see how the drivers reacted. In LA, the cars screeched to a halt and waited patiently for her to cross the street. In NYC it was mayhem with honking and fury. I tried to find the episode but it's lost to time. My goodness, that was a funny show!!
Candid camera! A blast from the past.
DeleteLOVED Candid Camera!
DeleteI never, ever jaywalk. I always use the crosswalk. And five years ago this week I was hit by a car when I was in a crosswalk, on my lunchtime walk. I assumed the driver saw me. Fortunately, I fared better than Debs; although I was taken to the ER in an ambulance, I wasn’t admitted to the hospital. No broken bones, just a lot of bruising/battering and an open sore that became infected. I was home from work for a week, recovering. I eventually needed to go to a wound care center as an outpatient for a few weeks. I no longer assume that drivers see me when I’m in a crosswalk.
ReplyDeleteDebRo
Whoa. Another cautionary tale. And it happened just before the holidays. Everyone take note and be careful out there.
ReplyDeleteI'm a cautious jaywalker. I don't assume that anyone will stop for me, look both ways, and then hightail it across the street. Unless there's lots of traffic and lights, then I will use the crosswalk and wait for the walk light. It all depends on what city I'm in. We have one stoplight in my town, so jaywalking isn't much of a problem, and I help our police chief get her weekly fix of romance novels :-)
ReplyDeleteThe local library parking lot is small, usually jammed with mom-vans and toddlers for story hour. Not a problem. I use a community lot a block away and cross a busy street in the crosswalk. Except, in Ohio, drivers ignore the pedestrian right of way and usually speed up, pinning the hapless victim lugging a bag of books in the middle of the street. And don't get me started on passing school buses picking up or dropping off kids who have to cross a busy street on foot. I have no idea what the Ohio jaywalking laws are, because even using a crosswalk isn't safe.
ReplyDeleteI don't know whether jay walking is illegal - but I do it anyway. Cautiously. I look left, I look right, I make sure there isn't a car in sight. I'm just not as agile as I used to be, and it is not my intention to upset drivers by being an obstruction. I agree with Hank that it can be scary for the driver, too.
ReplyDeleteLast year, when our old dog was still alive, I'd have to pick her up and carry her to get across the street in time.
Most dangerous traffic I saw was in Moscow. Drivers there WILL NOT STOP. We were there to adopt our kids and learned quickly. One sprint across an intersection and that was enough. There were stairs down at some of the major intersections anyway, as if you were going to the subway/metro, but you just walk up the stairs on the other side of the street. Easy peasy.
We got the driver's view too, riding with our assigned driver. He stopped behind someone at a light, decided he wanted to go first, and just drove around the guy. On major roads, drivers left and right created additional lanes by just driving around the traffic.
And shall I be the first to say, what is with people who step off a curb and proceed across the street while looking at their cell phone? As others have noted, you should never assume the driver sees you and will stop.
DeleteWe have one street here down the center of the college campus with multiple cross walks along it (no lights, just up to the driver to stop for pedestrian in cross walk). At class change times there are many students crossing. The college printed reminders on the pavement for the students. STOP. WAVE. WALK. The wave part is to make sure the student is looking at the driver and knows they will stop.
From Celia - Maine is a pedestrian rights state which I like. But living out in the country I am so charmed by the way that people will stop when they see us waiting to cross the street. In
ReplyDeletePortland however, watch out for the blind tourists who ignore cars on their retail therapy holiday.
Hi Hallie, I live in CA too. It has always been the case (as I understand) that (and ... disclaimer...I am not a lawyer!) if there is a street with a traffic stop at each end and an alley (or break) you can legally cross in the middle of that street. Lucy, you and Hayley both! Go figure. :)
ReplyDeleteGillian here: Jay-walking is illegal here, but the laws aren’t enforced. It is legal to cross at any intersection, whether there’s a marked crosswalk or not. If you see people waiting at a corner or stepping out into the street, you are supposed to stop and allow them to cross. Do drivers do this? Not often. I try to. There’s a crosswalk and signal I use frequently on my way to the grocery store. I have to wait and see if drivers are actually going to stop for the red light— so many blow right through it.
ReplyDeleteIn Nova Scotia we have lots of marked crosswalks willy-nilly between proper intersections. To use the crosswalk, you press the button which turns on the lights to signal to the driver to stop and allow the people to cross the road. It annoys me no end that people think that as soon as they push the button they can walk (usually still staring at their phone) WITHOUT looking both ways to see if the cars have stopped. Unfortunately, the result of the accident will involve the walker getting off scot-free (or dead) and the driver charged. GRRRRRR!
ReplyDeleteIt is the same in the country where I live, and going for a walk. I always wave to the driver and hope they wave back. This acknowledges that they have seen me. The police are the worst for not waving back…
The PHONES! So terrible!
DeleteWhenever I'm driving and I see a parent with a small child dodging traffic mid-block, I really get angry, but can't do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteOne day last year, I was walking along the sidewalk and noticed a woman, mid-block, with a young kid (perhaps 7?) trying to find a space in the traffic to dash across. She kept edging out, then stepping back. As I passed, I couldn't help it. Without even pausing, I called out, "Please don't teach her that's a good idea." She got it. She stepped back on the curb, and I heard her say, "That lady's right. We'll cross at the light."
Whew!
Oh, I so agree! That is absolutely heartbreaking!
DeleteGood work and great kindness, Susan D. Thank you. Elisabeth
DeleteI used to be a jaywalker. But then, one day about 45 years ago, in the middle of the street, on a relatively quiet business block in Seattle, there was the BODY BAG. I stopped jaywalking that day and any time I’m tempted, my mind flashes the BODY BAG. You were so fortunate Deborah. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteI was indeed. It was a weird accident. Three oncoming lanes of traffic. My cousin and I waited at the curb (no intersection with a crossing for another mile or so) for a car to pass. But the driver stopped and motioned us across. I stepped out in front. What I couldn't see, and the driver of the stopped car didn't see, was the car coming fast in the center lane. That driver never even had a chance to brake.
DeleteI almost hit someone in a crosswalk like that. Two lanes each way. I was in the right lane. The light changed to green and I started to go. Fortunately a woman in the passenger seat of the car besides me stuck her arm out the window and gestured me to STOP! Sure enough a second later a woman walking with a child finished crossing the street in front of me. A near miss for us all. Terrifying to think about it.
DeleteI live in a rural town of less than 500. The most traffic we ever have is when church lets out and our idea of a traffic jam is two cars behind a tractor. Not only to we cross wherever we want, drivers will make a U-turn in the middle of Main Street to go to the grocery store or post office.
ReplyDeleteI have actually done a couple of news stories about this, this reminds me. One was: it is illegal to Jay, walk in Boston, but! The fine for jaywalking is one dollar. So that’s a big deterrent, right :-)?
ReplyDeleteThe other thing was there is a particularly terrible intersection in Boston, where the lights were set so ridiculously that, as we timed it, pedestrians had to wait 2 1/2 minutes at the corner before they got the crossing light. So, of course, everyone just jaywalked, because that’s so impossible.
For those who waited for the light to finally change, if they ran, they could get halfway across the street before the cars came at them from the other direction.
Traffic engineers called this being in the “zone of conflict,” which I think is so hilarious.
Sidenote: after our story, they fixed the lights. Jonathan now calls it the Hank Phillippi Ryan intersection .
Hank, what is the intersection? I want to go pay tribute to it/you!
DeleteI hope they put a plaque to you on the WALK signs there! Rhys
DeleteHa! It is the corner of Causeway and Congress Street, sort of near and the Tip O’Neill federal building. Sadly, there is no plaque!
DeleteDefinitely should be a plaque, especially in the city of Make Way for Ducklings!
DeleteI don't think I've ever lived in a state where jaywalking wasn't illegal - not sure about Maine. To be honest we only have two traffic lights in my part of the county and they're both 10 miles away - I'm not walking, so when I'm on foot in town, I cross the road with care no matter where I am.
ReplyDeleteI was raised in the shadow of New York City and honed my jaywalking skills there. Heck, you can't get to the middle of a controlled intersection before the light changes, might as well take your best shot. When I moved to Florida I quickly learned that ALL traffic laws are a suggestion, including crosswalks and crossing lights. In fact, mid-block crossing is the best way to go because no one abides by the pedestrian right of way when cars are turning. That said, I did work as a paralegal for years and remember one case where the pedestrian sued the driver who ran them down and the driver won because...the pedestrian was NOT in the crosswalk. A cautionary tale.
I usually cross at the appropriate intersections, however, the traffic light has to be red-when it’s
ReplyDeleteyellow the drivers usually just speed up to get through before it changes to red. There is an
intersection I cross on the crosswalk and virtually every day at least one bicyclist goes through the red light regardless of whether there is a pedestrian crossing.
Growing up in the 50s I was a good girl. As I got older and began to think more for myself, I questioned many of the rules, and now follow them selectively. The best piece of advice I was ever given is to ask, "Whose rule is it, and why?" I understand traffic laws are meant for public safety, and always follow them when I'm driving (well, except for speed limits some times), but as a pedestrian I will cross against a light if the intersection is completely empty. I'll also cross in the middle of a street if I deem it to be safe, and of course, *never* distracting myself with my phone.
ReplyDeleteBefore my first trip to Boston, where I'd be driving a rental car, I read a guidebook that contained the phrase, "Driving in Boston is a blood sport." I learned to drive in San Francisco, and my mom made sure I learned to navigate rush hour traffic, so I'm pretty confident, but that phrase certainly got my attention. And in my experience, it turned out to be true. I will say, aside from traffic, I adored Boston. ~Lynda
My step mother was from Boston and before my first trip there driving myself, she told me to watch out. She said the drivers there will bump your car or just give you a little push. The guy I had gone there to visit said there are 2 kinds of drivers in Boston, those who stop at green lights and those who go through red ones. I still see that when I am in Boston.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteBoston drivers are justly famous. But our streets are higgledy piggledy, too. No right angles in the older parts of the city.
DeleteWalking in NYC was definitely a challenge for me. We did kind of get the hang of it after a few days! Having been hit by a bicyclist ON THE SIDEWALK outside my dorm 40 years ago and severely breaking my left clavicle, I can still be skittish about traffic of all types. I had to look up just what the law is regarding jaywalking in Minnesota, because I am definitely a stand at the corner and wait for the walk signal person. Now we even have ones downtown that talk to you, “Wait! Wait!”
ReplyDeleteNo pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to yield.
Crossing between intersections. (a) Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or at an intersection with no marked crosswalk shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway.
For Drivers
Minnesota Statute 169.21 requires vehicles to stop for pedestrians at any intersection crossing, regardless of whether crosswalk markings are present, until the pedestrian has passed the lane in which the vehicle is stopped.
Pedestrians must adhere to all traffic signals. Stick to the marked crosswalk - jaywalking is subject to a $112 fine.
Minnesota citizens should take jaywalking seriously despite its status as a minor offense. Minnesota follows a contributory negligence law, meaning that the courts may find a plaintiff partially at-fault for an incident, reducing his or her compensation by an amount proportionate to his or her percentage of fault in an incident. That means that if you are jaywalking and suffer an injury from a car driving nearby, the courts will more than likely find you partially at fault for your injuries since you failed to cross the street legally. In some cases, the court may find the jaywalker completely at fault for such an incident, and he or she will be unable to claim damages. The driver or anyone else who was injured or suffered damages in the incident would be able to sue the jaywalker.
So if you find yourself in Minnesota, now you know.
I honestly don't know if it's illegal here. I think it is but no one seems to pay attention. I've been guilty of jaywalking on more than one occasion, although only after checking and rechecking for traffic. And if the crosswalk is WAY down there and the weather is nasty, yeah, I'm crossing where it's most convenient. On the flipside, there are several very busy intersections that I frequent where I wouldn't dream of attempting to cross against the signal.
ReplyDeleteOn a similar note, I live out in the country but on a busy state route. Lots of truck traffic. Our mailbox is across the road, and it's always an ordeal to get over and back. One day, my neighbor's son was waiting with me to cross and he muttered it was like playing Frogger. I almost doubled over laughing because HE WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!
This is Annette Dashofy, by the way. I don't know why it won't let me sign in. Maybe because I'm such a jaywalking scofflaw.
DeleteFrogger?!? And you knew what he was talking about! I'm so impressed.
DeleteFrom what I understood after googling jaywalking, it's illegal in most states. I think where it differs is how much it's enforced. I like the crosswalk lines because they seem a safe place to me when crossing the street, but, of course, a driver can disrespect those lines, too, and hit a pedestrian. I admit that I treat "big city" pedestrian crossing different than "little town" crossing. In the cities I seek the crosswalks and intersections. I remember growing up with this subject being much more in the forefront of thinking when visiting the big cities, and having jaywalking on my mind when I was in Cincinnati or Louisville. I actually thought about getting ticketed if In my hometown of little Maysville, I cross wherever I want. Here in Owensboro, I do tend to go with the crosswalks and lights.
ReplyDeleteSomething I'm guilty of at intersections where there are crossing lights is starting to cross while the countdown has already started. I'm not sure about other places, but in Honolulu and other places in Hawaii, a law has been passed in the last five years that if you start to cross after the countdown has started and you get caught, you are subject to a $130 fine. They are also doing away with crosswalks.
Being a pedestrian in a car-focused culture is hard no matter what you do. Like Hallie, I've been too close to impatient right-turn drivers as I walked across the street in a crosswalk. When I put on my driver's hat, here in CA at least, I have to remember both of my sons are bicyclists who've been hit when bikes ignore their set-aside lanes, fly through stop signs they're supposed to honor, and generally behave as if they own the planet. The scariest, though, is trying to drive near a college campus (think Berkeley) at night when student pedestrians - and bicyclists - seem not to realize they are invisible in their black puffer coats and hoodies.
ReplyDeleteThey really do think they're immortal.
DeleteThe "rule" in NYC is that if pedestrians look at the cars (ie acknowledge the traffic) the person is resonsible for avoiding the cars. If you act as if there is no traffic, it is the traffic's resonsibility to avoid you.
ReplyDeleteAh! Thank you for revealing the key! I always wondered and now... I truly get it. I think the same goes for drivers who are trying to change lanes.
DeleteOr my take is forcing others to take consequences…the jaywalker might wind up dead or seriously injured. The driver would surely be arrested. Elisabeth
ReplyDelete