A couple things about pedestrians and crosswalks have been chafing me lately.

First, it's really frustrating when someone pushes the button, especially when there's little to no traffic, then crosses the street almost immediately. They're across the street before the sign reads walk and everyone at the intersection is looking around wondering why no one is going or walking across the street. I had such a douchebag who did that at every intersection yesterday and because of the unnecessary wait I'd catchup to him at the next light just in time to see him do it again... and then again. Should have bought a lottery ticket with those odds.

On the other hand, there's people who think that because they're in a crosswalk they can just walk across without taking any precautions and it's up to the driver of the vehicle to avert disaster. I almost hit someone because they stepped out from behind a parked van while wearing dark clothes which made it really hard to see him when it's dark and drizzling outside. The speed limit was 30mph and thankfully I was looking for a parking spot and was going about 20mph so I happened to notice and stopped in time. To top it off, he gave me a dirty look and the finger. You're welcome pal. The frustrating thing here is that had I hit him, I'd be the one in the crosshairs.

I'm sure there's plenty more and feel to share but for this week (and it's only Tuesday) I've gotten a dose to last long enough. Thanks for hearing me out.

Sometimes you should be able to hit someone just on general principle....

Best I saw was while working in Phoenix. 6-lane road at interstate entrance with panhandler, walking in the median concrete strip with hat/hand out while cars stopped. Once light changed, walked back to front of line and hit the cross-walk trigger set on the island! I guess it's there to avoid people getting stuck halfway, but this douche was cycling the lights fast as he could in an area where I saw about 4 people actually walking across the intersection in the 6 months I was there.

quote:

Originally posted by Dead_Eye:
A couple things about pedestrians and crosswalks have been chafing me lately.

First, it's really frustrating when someone pushes the button, especially when there's little to no traffic, then crosses the street almost immediately. They're across the street before the sign reads walk and everyone at the intersection is looking around wondering why no one is going or walking across the street. I had such a douchebag who did that at every intersection yesterday and because of the unnecessary wait I'd catchup to him at the next light just in time to see him do it again... and then again. Should have bought a lottery ticket with those odds.

On the other hand, there's people who think that because they're in a crosswalk they can just walk across without taking any precautions and it's up to the driver of the vehicle to avert disaster. I almost hit someone because they stepped out from behind a parked van while wearing dark clothes which made it really hard to see him when it's dark and drizzling outside. The speed limit was 30mph and thankfully I was looking for a parking spot and was going about 20mph so I happened to notice and stopped in time. To top it off, he gave me a dirty look and the finger. You're welcome pal. The frustrating thing here is that had I hit him, I'd be the one in the crosshairs.

I'm sure there's plenty more and feel to share but for this week (and it's only Tuesday) I've gotten a dose to last long enough. Thanks for hearing me out.

Unfortunately, I think most states have laws that state the driver must yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk wheteher or not the driver has a green light.

Saw a young lady at San Diego State University get hit while in the crosswalk. No broken bones or skin, just bruises.

Seems she was on her head-down display (phone) and walked into a crosswalk from behind a box truck. SMACK - she was tagged by a car. (I was coming the opposite direction and watched it in fascination realizing there was nothing I could which would have prevented it - I was just there as an observer.)

The end of the story? The car's driver was cited for not yielding to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

I was having lunch at a restaurant on the corner of a busy intersection (about a mile east of the 10th busiest airport in the US). We hear horns and screeching tires, and look up to see some tool texting just barely miss getting hit. He miraculously arrives at the corner, and the walk light turns for him walk across the next street. You guessed it, head down texting again as he walked across the street. Darwin will catch up to him.

the ones that get me are those who cross in the middle of the street hidden by parked vans wearing dark cloths at night.

I don't care if they want to kill themselves, just don't use other people.

When I was a young kid of about seven or eight, I ran out from behind a parked car and got smucked. It sent me about eight feet and I rolled out of it with some minor bruising.

My dad bruised my butt worse that the car did.

Lesson learned.

I've never understood why adults (and most children) have never learned the law of gross tonnage. People need to watch where they are going and cars should have the right of way IMO as they are capable of doing much more damage.

quote:

Originally posted by Dead_Eye:
On the other hand, there's people who think that because they're in a crosswalk they can just walk across without taking any precautions and it's up to the driver of the vehicle to avert disaster.

Happened to me about a month ago in Ashland, VA around Randolph Macon University, jackass came out of one of the restaurants and straight into the crosswalk without looking left, right, or up! One day, these morons will finally get a hard lesson in physics.

On the flip side, I have to cross two streets in clearly marked crosswalks to get to work. No driver visibility issues. I will take one step in the crosswalk (not in the line of the passing cars) to show the drivers I am physically in the crosswalk and they continue to drive by and ignore me and others until one driver finally stops. I've even had police cars do this. Must be trying to hurry up and get to the red light at the end of the street.

Hey! I'm Walkin' He'ah.

Im Walkin Here

How about folks in a shopping center/store who instead of crossing the roadway and walking up the sidewalk to their destination, walk up the middle of the roadway til they get to their entrance?

+1 Floyd. Like a lot of other pedestrian interactions, the dirty looks they give when they're in the wrong are representative of the lack of respect and personal responsibility in today's society.

P.S. While we're talking about parking lots I can't stand the cars that drive across the parking spaces instead of staying in the aisles. It amazes me when a near collision is avoided because a vehicle comes barging into an aisle at a speed much greater than a normal vehicle pulling/backing out. Again, the icing on the cake is the pissed off violator because they feel like the vehicle in the aisle should have yielded.

quote:

Originally posted by Floyd D. Barber:
How about folks in a shopping center/store who instead of crossing the roadway and walking up the sidewalk to their destination, walk up the middle of the roadway til they get to their entrance?

This happened to me with a group of Hadjis who were slowly walking in the middle of the road at the second largest mall in the USA (King of Prussia, PA)

They were deliberately doing it and almost daring me to hit them, I was screaming inside the car "That may be how you do it in whatever shithole of a Middle Eastern country you all come from but you DON'T do that here!"

After I almost touched a couple of them with my front bumper, they got the hint and moved the hell out of the way.

Mind you, this was at Christmas when it's already nuts there and they are pulling this shit.

quote:

Originally posted by mutedblade:
Happened to me about a month ago in Ashland, VA around Randolph Macon University, jackass came out of one of the restaurants and straight into the crosswalk without looking left, right, or up! One day, these morons will finally get a hard lesson in physics.

Sounds like yet another reason to have a dash cam.

My ex wife would walk out into traffic and expect everything to stop because "pedestrians have right of way"
I asked her if that law overrides the law of physics because a vehicle can't stop on a dime just because she walks out in the street.

She damn near bought the farm at Myrtle Beach walking out into traffic like that.

A lady was killed in Milwaukee last Fall, in the crosswalk. I don't know all the details, but it did happen at 11:00 P.M..

Even in the crosswalk, day or night, one needs to be defensive about stepping out. The phase 'dead right' comes to mind.

Then you have those who think they can cross whereever they want to, even if they are within feet of a crosswalk. Walk right out without regard to the light or traffic.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
A lady was killed in Milwaukee last Fall, in the crosswalk. I don't know all the details, but it did happen at 11:00 P.M..

Even in the crosswalk, day or night, one needs to be defensive about stepping out. The phase 'dead right' comes to mind.

Yep, same thing happened in my city a year or two back. And of course, everyone started complaining about how bad the intersection is.

I'm sorry, but if you're paying attention there is absolutely no way to get killed crossing in a crosswalk.

How about tbe douchebags who see you coming, step into the street ( not in a crosswalk) look tbe other way and just walk across the street?!?! Deliberatly looking away from you. Mainly college kids or low-life hosers wanting to sue after being hit by you. Ive had it out more than once explaining my 4000 lb car vs your 180lbs getting crushed. I end the yelling by saying, " I win, your dead, and its not my fault. !"

I kinda wish this would happen to the kind of people discussed in this thread:


https://youtu.be/nh-As5b_jZA