I live in Oakland and work in San Francisco, and I’m fucking tired of almost becoming a grease spot in the road, so some punk can get to his destination quicker! It seems to mainly be equine feces for brains drivers making right hand turns while pedestrians are trying to cross. Fuck it! I’ve stuck my foot out to rub against their doors leaving a black mark, but I need more. Is it possible to turn a laser pointer into a metal etcher? I can carry a car battery (or two) in my pack, with the connection cable coming out of the back of my pack and running through my “pedestrian” shirt. The cable will then run down the inside of my shirt to my right front pocket. With that camo who would know. I would be wearing larger than normal clothes to allow easy access for “pointing and stashing”. Now everytime someone tries to run me or a fellow pedestrian over, I’ll draw and carve a “P” (Viva el Pedestrian!!) in the side of their car. Then I can continue on my way knowing “One down, who’s next”. After I etch a hundred cars I’ll go public with an annonymous editorial to the Bay Guardian, and maybe than drivers will be more careful of pedestrians. At least in San Francisco. By the way, we just had pedestrian death 20 and 21 (or 21 and 22) for the year today. True the peds were walking against red, but still. So Dopers, is the pedestrian pointer possible? All safety issues will be considered secondary.
I think you MIGHT just get either electrocuted or sued. Or both. Or worse.
Hey Stylus, fellow Oaklander here:
This ain’t exactly legal, but I’d (if i were to do such a thing :eek: )use a paintbrush, a lot less wear and tear on the back. Minimal property damage. Btw,(slight hijack coming) speaking of deaths, have you noticed it’s getting pretty violent around these parts lately? I mean this past weekend this guy stabbed 12 people or something like that.
Guess Jim Carey was wrong.
But still what? You don’t think the penalty for crossing on red should be death? WTF? What kind of bleeding-heart panty-waist liberal are you?
And about your plan? Are you sure you want to piss off the dudes with the big hunks of metal on their side? What if drivers decide to REALLY start going after pedestrians? “I’m sorry officer, but all 60 of them just stepped off the sidewalk without warning, all at once! I couldn’t avoid them!”
Really, though, everyone just needs to be more careful. Especially in SF. I’ve been following this in the news, and it’s just scary. How about a compromise? We won’t run you down like we own the road, you don’t walk out in front of us like you do. Deal?
When I walk in SF, I look at the lights and the cars. If Darwin had stopped in SF and saw the statistics, he would have said it was natural evolution, survival of the fittest.
Just think, if those lawless pedo-philes had been allowed to breed they would have passed on their unworthy genes and where would drivers be? Just answer that.
Try to get hit by a slow-moving rich guy, and sue for millions. Sure, you may get some bruises (I did say “slow-moving”), and the millions you rake in now can be used to fund your future vigilante work.
Squirt gun filled w/brake fluid. Read the bottle, it removes paint very well.MTS
then
If I caught some fool vandalizing cars who were legally turning right on red just because the fool wanted to illegally cross against the light, I’d grease 'em on the spot.
Your next rant, I suppose, will be against firemen who insist on making you leave the burning building instead of just fighting the fire around your personal space?
Sheeesh! Why should we help you rig up a genuine laser? Those 1/4w pointer lasers are already at double your capacity.
Except, according to the driving manual for the state of California, a pedestrian always has the right-of-way.
Another reason to believe that California does not operate in the real world. “Let’s set up a law that creates a situation where the lawbreaker has the law on its side.”
I was aware of the law saying traffic had to yield to pedestrians in those generic crosswalks that seem to cross roads in erratic fashions. That’s fair. Drivers simply have to be careful.
I did not realize that the same law granted pedestrians the right to cross against the light.
OK. I amend my statement:
If I caught some fool vandalizing cars who were legally turning right on red just because the fool wanted to illegally cross against the light, I’d park my car, walk back, and beat the tar out of them.
(I do not support running down pedestrians, regardless whether they are violating the law. People being stupid, or even selfish, shouldn’t necessarily get the death penalty.
Vandalizing cars of people who are legally turning, however, because you want to break the law seems excessive.)
Stylus,
Having recently moved to the SF Area, I would like to make some observations:
The Pedestrians around downtown SF act like they are the center of the universe. They cross against red lights. They cross in the middle of the streets. They start to cross on yellow lights. Hell, they even step out into traffic if the cars have the temerity to slow down a bit. In short, they walk whenever and wherever they please with no regard to traffic or conditions. There’s a definate arrogance about it.
And don’t dare try to honk at a pedestrian who jumps out into traffic as you’ll be on the receiving end of a middle finger for your efforts.
What happens as a result of this?
Drivers are getting pissed. They’d like to get where they’re going and understand that pedestrians have the right of way, but pedestrians have to understand the rules and rights of the road as well. When pedestrians consistently ignore basic traffic rules, drivers become a bit more… agressive… in asserting their rights. That means that when that little red hand has been flashing for 10 seconds, dumbfuck, you don’t start walking across the intersection. A car’s gonna turn right in front of you… you’ll yell and flip the driver off, but it’s YOU that’s the fuckup! Traffic can’t get anywhere if you don’t allow them even two fucking seconds to make a turn!
San Fran took the brilliant step of removing the few routes that bypassed The City after the last big earthquake. Now there are few options left to drivers who now must cross The City via it’s downtown streets.
I swear I’m being objective on this one. I take BART (subway) into The City and walk around the streets myself, but 90% of the pedestrians here are self-centered assholes when it comes to the rules of the road.
Cross against the red lights all you want to in Oakland, but don’t try it in San Francisco, because if you get killed doing so, it’s only going to go that much further in proving Darwin right in my book.
Hey Tom, I apologize for not being a bit more clear in my OP. I don’t cross streets against red lights. I was mearly trying to point out that about 1/3 of the pedestrian fatalities/injuries, in SF, were caused by DUMB FUCKS (they are, I’m not going to disagree with you there) that cross on red. My rant is because I cross streets legally and still seem to almost get hit at least once every two weeks. I don’t own a car and so rely on public transportation and my feet wherever I go. So what would you suggest to the peds that cross streets legally and still manage to nearly get whacked? I’m one of those dorks that stands on the curb, even when there are no cars coming, to wait for the light. I learned my lesson the first week I moved here when I saw a ped looking at the tall buildings and walk out into an intersecrtion to get creamed by a car doing about 35mph. She flew over the hood like a rag doll doing a cartwheel. Don’t ask me how but she got up after that and limped away denying medical treatment!
And yes if you were to almost hit me while I was crossing the street legally, with the green, I would not hesitate to etch your car. Sure you would notice right away, stop your car, get out, and get eviscerated by the laser. I guess you were right about Darwin after all…dumb fucks do get wasted!
Hey, I was fine with your first rant until you noted that (all?) the struck pedestrians were crossing against the light.
Right-on-green must yield to the crosswalk in any civilized country. If you’re going after lawbreakers, go ahead. I’m not sure, then, why you included sympathy for twits if you have a legitimate beef and are not a twit.