You have never done this.
Of course not, but as a pedestrian in NYC, I’ve seen hundreds (well it took years) of cars run red lights and make turns into pedestrian traffic in the crosswalk, heedless of their very lives.
Yes, there are idiots. I’ve even saved three or four of them from being hit over the years, but drivers are very much too aggressive which is why so many pedestrians die in NYC every year. A driver doesn’t risk her (or his) life by running into walkers.
The old joke: There are only two types of pedestrians. The quick and the dead.
- All too true.
I holler “RED LIGHT!!” at cars going through on red. Doubt it does much good as the crime has been committed, but maybe it has helped a driver or two to wake up and be more careful and law abiding.
Swearing somehow doesn’t seem right to me. I swear, but not in that circumstance.
There was a report on the BBC recently that at a significant number of the pedestrian operated crossings, the button doesn’t actually do anything functional, it simply pacifies the pedestrian by giving them the illusion of some control until the timer stops the traffic.
Well, I had a great weekend speeding through town and trying run people down. I almost got a few but they saw me coming and managed to scoot out of the way.
To be honest, I have never locked up my brakes stopping for a ped. Anti-lock brakes put an end to that long ago. Besides, that was said for emphasis an not intended to accurately reflect my experience.
My question is simply this - Why is so hard for some pedestrians to wait until there is a large enough gap in traffic that they can cross without the drivers having to brake harder than they would when approaching a stop sign or red light?
To refer back to my OP - some of you really think that there’s nothing remotely wrong or rude or inconsiderate on the part of a ped who walks out in front of the only car for blocks, thereby making the driver stop abruptly, rather than waiting the five seconds to get a completely clear path across?
The response of “You’re driving too fast if you have to brake that hard” does not answer that question. “Because the law gives them the right of way” is pretty weak, too. If you are in a car or on a bike you can (and must) wait. Why is it so hard to wait when you are on foot? I really don’t get. I walk far more than I drive around that part of town at this time of year and NEVER walk in front of oncoming traffic that is close enough to have to stop. I simply cannot grasp why anyone would. Just blissfully walking along like you are on a sidewalk and not crossing in front of one-ton vehicles being driven by angry, impatient locals defies common sense. Not to mention being rude and inconsiderate. Those traits are not exclusive to the drivers of cars, you know.
Flip the question - Why is it so hard for cars to simply drive slower around pedestrian crossings so pedestrians don’t have to wait for a large gap in traffic in order to cross?
There’s no specific reason why cars should be prioritized ahead of pedestrians. In general, we seem to prioritize slow moving or less powered traffic above cars.
Why is it so hard to apply the brakes in a car? You’re barely expending any energy. I really don’t get it.
Is it rude for another motorist to insist on going ahead of you when he has the right of way and you don’t? Even if you are the only car coming for blocks? Why would it be for any different for a pedestrian?
Drivers are (supposedly) trained to handle an automobile. You have no way of ensuring that pedestrians are trained or aware of anything. Therefore, it’s our obligation as motorists to look out for them.
Telemark - you have failed to answer my question. Flipping a question is not an answer. But I’ll answer your question. It it not hard to drive slower in crowded areas and I have no problem doing so. I also know, based on experience, that no matter how slowly I am driving there will be someone who will make me stop abruptly.
I do have a problem with people who behave like they’re bullet-proof just because the law gives them the the right of way. So, I’ll re-ask my question. Why can’t some people wait until there is a reasonably big enough gap so that when they DO exercise their right-of-way they so in a reasonable manner? Evidently, you believe (and the law seems to agree) that as long as I can bring my car to a stop without hitting you, it was reasonable to step out. Short of actually getting hit, peds always act reasonably. Is that your stance?
You have traffic flowing and it is already regulated to by traffic signals and stop signs that provide for gaps to let other traffic and peds cross. The orderly flow of traffic, especially in a congested area, is hampered by peds walking out in the manner I’ve described. I know, fuck the traffic.
Coastal - you have also answered my question with a question. Please provide an example of what you are talking about. You mean like I’m waiting to turn left and the guy coming the other way insists on not stopping to allow me do do so? Why would that bother me? It defies common sense to turn in front of him if it is going to make him jump on the brakes.
Suppose they changed the law to say cars turning left have the right of way over oncoming traffic? I could use all of your (collective) arguments to justify why there would be nothing wrong with this. Except such a law would defy common sense. Just like it defies common sense to walk out in to traffic. But you have the right-of-way, so go ahead.
I wholly agree that there is nothing that ensures that pedestrians are aware of anything. That is exactly my point. I guess being on foot relieves you of any responsibility for your own safety or the impact of your actions on the rest of the world.
Because they are on vacation, infusing their cash into your otherwise floundering economy.
(That’s a guess)
You could just as easily say the pedestrian crossings define the orderly flow of traffic. There’s no reason why we should assume that getting the maximum number of cars through the area is or should be the goal. There are reasons why lots of urban areas are introducing Traffic Calming measures to make areas more pedestrian friendly.
Yes, some brainless pedestrians wander out into traffic without looking. They should be ridiculed and their behavior should be changed. Some brainless drivers go through crosswalks without looking, or drive too fast (the speed limit is the limit to travel in ideal conditions, not necessarily the speed to travel with lots of foot traffic in the area), or are openly antagonistic to pedestrians. They should be ridiculed and their behavior should be changed.
But the majority of pedestrians and drivers don’t do that, they follow the rules. And right now, the rules say that you need to slow down or stop when someone walks into the crosswalk after making sure it’s safe. If you have trouble stopping in a non-emergency fashion then you may be traveling too fast. If you want to change that then try to make the crosswalks controlled by a signal and you’ll have the right of way while the light is green.
I don’t recall ever locking my brakes or even having to slam them on to avoid hitting a pedestrian.
Perhaps I don’t drive in the same areas as you or I don’t go as fast, but I cross plenty of crosswalks and don’t remember ever being angry at someone darting across the street. Of course - I would only get angry if someone actually put me in danger of hitting them - which would almost be impossible unless there were cars parked up blocking my vision - or someone went from totally still to darting across.
If anything it is more the pedestrians that take their sweet old time crossing - these people aren’t able to dart into traffic they walk so slow - that bother me.
And in my state - using your horn when it isn’t an emergency is a violation of the traffic law 
I have the opposite problem a lot–I’ll be standing at a corner, not a crosswalk, and some driver stops and gestures me to cross, ignoring the other lane(s) of traffic ready to kill me if I cross illegally, and the cars behind that driver, ready to slam into a stopped car where no car should be. I sometimes have to shake my head “no” and turn away to get the driver to drive. This transaction often results in that driver and other drivers directing their ire at me, but the social sequelae, such as getting flipped off for refusing to walk illegally into traffic, are better than death.
Oh, that happens to me, too!
What is more frequent, though, is this situation: I’ll be out on a casual walk, just getting some air, some exercise, enjoying the scenery… in other words, not trying to get anywhere in any particular time. (This is in a not very dense housing area though on a numbered highway.) When I need to cross the street, I’ll hang back from the side of the road for a few feet while I wait for a gap to cross. I’m in no hurry, I’m happy to wait for cars to get by.
Now, say I can look up the road a ways, and I see there are a clump of five cars coming along, and then a sizeable gap. Splendid. No problem waiting.
Except that 90% of the time, one of the cars will insist on stopping for me! So I have to hurry across and give the drive a ‘thank you’ wave, when if he’d just kept driving I would have only waited a few more seconds AND it wouldn’t have interfered with the traffic at all.
To add that extra little twist, it is almost always the LAST CAR in the clump!
We really need some universal set of signals to facilitate communication between drivers and pedestrians.
Why, it’s almost as if that’s exactly the situation we’re dealing with!
A wild pedestrian in his native environment: http://weaponsman.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ghillie-suit.jpg
From the OP:
Sounds like the OP could see them before they stepped off the curb, so they weren’t blocked by parked cars and they clearly didn’t go from a dead stop. So, it’s nothing like the situation we’re dealing with.
Bullshit.
You’re driving along the street and there’s a group of pedestrians ambling along the sidewalk parallel to you, chatting, taking photos, looking at store fronts, gazing glassy eyed at all and sundry (going either in your direction or coming at you - doesn’t matter). You are a short distance from the crosswalk (five/ten feet) and said group suddenly makes a sharp left (or right) and steps into the path of your car. What do you do? Slam on the brakes? Mow them down? Honk and swear? Smack yourself upside the head 'cause, obviously, you should have read their minds and known they were planning an abrupt change of direction?
I agree we need a way to better communicate our intentions. My pet peeve is when the last car in a clump sees me and thinks, despite the fact I am on the far edge of the sidewalk and not even at a crosswalk, “hey, there’s this person who might dart into traffic! Better slow down!”, but does not stop, and thus erases the former gap so I can’t cross at all.
But hey, it’s better for the driver because they don’t know I am aware of my surroundings. Better for them to annoy me than to have plowing into a pedestrian etched into their minds.
There are situations where pedestrians can be at fault. I don’t think anyone disputes that. The OP doesn’t appear to be describing one such situation, not does it appear to be the norm, in my experience. But drivers need to accept that under current laws they need to yield to pedestrians in the cross walk and drive accordingly. If it means slowing down when there’s a possibility of someone crossing, then slow down.