The little man means I get to walk...Did you just aim for me?

The BBQ Pit
#1

The apartment I’m in is just past a bridge going over the interstate. on either end there are exit/entrance ramps. just past those there is a fairly busy street with a 24 hour gas station, pizza place, walgreens and several fast food places. Lots of traffic and since I do not own a car I have to walk to all these places.

I’m usually pretty courteous crossing the street and wait until I get the walk sign to cross. It seems that most of the drivers here do not know what that means. At least once a day I have to jump out of the way of a car either running the red or not slowing down when turning on red. The worst are the people who have an entire lane to turn into and yet aim straight at me while I’m near a curb.

Fuck you people. I may not have a car but thats no reason to aim for me or yell at me. I’m sorry did I delay your day by 5 precious fucking seconds? Do you not like my outfit? What the fuck did I do to you? Oh yeah and a special fuck you to the asshole who ran the red light, aimed for my gf and I while we were both crossing, with the walk. The only reason she didn’t get hit is because I pushed her out of the way. And yes, these people are aiming. they adjust their path to line up with me. You know what, You’re intimidation does not work with me. Pretty soon I’m going to start picking up one of the decorative rocks in front of my building to take with me. Just as a gentle reminder to the back windows of these people that not all pedestrains are going to let you get away with being an asshole. I’m sick of your shit and I’m not taking it anymore.
Wow that felt good to get out.

#2

May your aim be true.

#3

My best freind has a habit of kicking cars that don’t stop for her in a cross walk. She’s a few dents in peoples cars doing so. While I don’t recomend this I do find it amusing. The driver has little legal recourse to the action as they were breaking the law to begin with. It was a cop that ‘taught’ her to do this.

#4

Don’t know where you are at, but here in California, driving through a crosswalk with a ped in it is a Bozo no-no.
I suggest you stop by the local police department, and ask if they can do some extra patrolling in the neighborhood.
Amazing what a couple of hundred tickets will do for the drivers attitude. :smiley:

#5

I have a friend who does this with taxis in NYC. He’s gotten into more than a couple fistfights over it with irate drivers. True, they have little legal recourse, but a punch to the nose often solves that problem. Your friend probably fares better since she’s a she.

#6

It’s even better here in Korea. A driver–even someone driving their very own private non-commercial vehicle–is considered a “professional driver.” That means if the driver collides with a pedestrian walking legally on the painted-on-the-road sidewalk (no kidding, my neighborhood has pedestrian lanes painted on the narrower streets), the driver has zero recourse if something happens.

Just this evening while I was walking to my apartment, I almost got nailed by a van turning right into a parking lot while I was on the “sidewalk.” I slapped the rear quarterpanel, yelled “choshimhae!” {"Be careful!, but not a very respectful way to say it} at him. He apologized very nicely, which was actually quite a surprise. Usually when two people get into a conflict, even pedestrian vs. vehicle, it turns into a pedestrian vs. pedestrian (the driver exits the vehicle) shouting match. Hey, I can recommend a couple of intersections here to watch the shout ing matches if you’ve run out of ideas for Friday evening entertainment.

#7

That reminds me of one of my friends. He’s a very friendly, courteous, polite guy, but if someone intentionally fucks him over he goes from gentleman to psycho in about 2 seconds. Some jerk pulled the same sort of stunt you described on him once, and also yelled profanities out the window at him. He smiled at them, then kicked the shit out of their headlights and calmly walked away, leaving the jerks in the intersection staring dumbfounded at their smashed headlights.

#8

Helps if you’re suicidal.
Then you don’t have do move for them; they have to serve out of the way.
While we’re on the subject of a pedestrian life. They still don’t teach to walk against traffic do they? Wrong thing to do in America where the object of driving is not to get hit whereas the rest of the world strives not to hit anything. If you’re walking on the left side of the street traffic pulling out won’t even glance your way. They’re too busy looking left, away from you.

#9

Good for him!

#10

Yes, they do.

The idea being that you, as the pedestrian, can see the traffic coming at you. Now, unless you have eyes in the back of your heads, the best way to do that is to walk on the left side.

#11

To clarify, I slapped the quarterpanel enough to make a noise but not to cause damage.

#12

The thing is they don’t all swerve out of the way. Like I said some of the people are actually aiming for me. Its been awhile since drivers ed but, maybe the DNR declared that all pedestrians in a crosswalk are considered small game and can be hunted if you have your driver’s license.

#13

Are you wearing this shirt?
http://www.retroduck.com/images/products/07/07-0183r.jpg

#14

Was it a pickup and did anyone inside yell “whoo”?

#15

I used to get upset at such things, smack the cars and such.
Until one day a few years ago when I was heading to work in the a.m. in downtown Chicago. A car which had been going the wrong way down a 1-way street (N on Clark) turned W on Adams, cutting off some pedestrians using the crosswalk with the signal. One guy slapped the car. The driver screeched to a stop, came out of the car with a hammer and smacked the pedestrian in the neck/shoulder.
Pretty lousy way to start the day.
There’s so many jerks everywhere.

#16

Damn. That’s pretty far north on Clark to be going the wrong direction. Clark changes from a two-way street to a south-only on-way down at Harrison. I see people blast thru the intesection at Harrison going north pretty frequently, but Adams is well over a 1/4 mile north of Harrison - and several intersections. There’s what? three stoplights between Harrison and Adams?

#17

I wonder if he was high on meth.

#18

What, you never read X Marks the Pedwalk?

#19

Two words, my friend. Two words:

Ball bearings.