When the signal says “Don’t Walk.”

More people seem to look directly at traffic, and step out while looking at it, like they expect it to stop.

Is there someplace where they do? This is a regular occurrence in Miami - and not just the insane/drug-addled street dwelling crowd.

I brake for designated crosswalks, not jaywalkers - particularly the ones too lazy to walk 5 ft to the designated crosswalk.

quote:

Do people realize pedestrians don’t have the right of way

Nope.
What irks me is that I always come upon some fat ass girl walking into to the line of traffic with a phone plastered to her ear and never looking up.

Can't recall if it was all of Canada, but in Nova Scotia, particularly Halifax, pedestrians always had the right of way. Drivers would slam on the brakes and come to a complete stop whenever it even looked like someone might step off the curb. Took me a moment to realize what was going on.

If there is a pedestrian signal then they must follow the signals. At a light with a crosswalk but no pedestrian signals then they have right of way anytime the light is green.


We have a walking trail crossing near my house. The trail crosses a street mid block. While there are signs saying yield to pedestrians in crosswalk the trail walkers have a stop sign. Almost daily cars come to a complete stop at the mid block crosswalk even when there are no walkers in sight. Pisses me off big time.

Don’t get me started on people who cross the street diagonally!

Bikers should be included. I have no problem sharing the road with pedestrians and bikers. But we all should obey the law. If you are too lazy to stop peddling at a traffic light, take a cab! Same goes with a pediatrician not willing to look up from their phone when crossing the street!
I was told, the bigger the vehicle, the more right of way it has!

It is my understanding that if a person is standing on the sidewalk at a crosswalk that a driver is supposed to stop to allow the person to cross. However, some pedestrians seem to think that crosswalks make them 'bulletproof'. These idiots will walk into a crosswalk without even looking to see if there is a car coming expecting the driver to stop. Risky business, I might say.

quote:

Originally posted by TBH:
Same goes with a pediatrician not willing to look up from their phone when crossing the street!

You got something against a baby doc talking to the baby momma?

Lol giggle snort guffaw! People around me are wondering why I’m laughing so much.

I hate autocorrect, it’s my worse enema and makes me say things I didn’t Nintendo.


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What's the old saying, "It doesn't matter if you were right if you are dead."

This applies perfectly to crosswalks. If you are a pedestrian, even if you have the right of way, you better make sure that the 2 ton vehicle approaching you sees you and is going to yield.

Watching the news the other day and there is story about how The University of Central FL is trying to improve pedestrian safety. I say out loud to myself, "Yeah, cause all the college kids cannot be bothered to look up from their phones and pay attention to where they are walking."

The story covers some stats on traffic deaths, etc and then cuts to a reporter on campus. At the crosswalks they have painted warning signs on the ground reminding people to look up before they step into the road.

The worst thing was when I worked for the power company and I needed to go to one of the substations at LSU . There were a couple of streets that were gated and you had to have a pass or a good reason to access them . God help you if you were in that area when classes changed . Hundreds and hundreds of students jaywalking everywhere and all of them looking at their phones .They would step off the curb in front of you and never look up from their phones .

I once saw someone step out into the street in the middle of a block and get winged by a bus, breaking their arm.

The policeman that showed up wrote the pedestrian a ticket.

It was the most literal case of adding insult to injury I have ever seen.

In California they stop for pedestrians crossing the street. NYC complete opposite. Pedestrians seem to be targets.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
Can't recall if it was all of Canada, but in Nova Scotia, particularly Halifax, pedestrians always had the right of way. Drivers would slam on the brakes and come to a complete stop whenever it even looked like someone might step off the curb. Took me a moment to realize what was going on.

Yes, they do.

Had that exact same experience when I spent a lot of time in Halifax. Driving at a nice clip then--wham--someone slams on the brakes to let a pedestrian "jaywalk". I say jaywalk because it's any ole damn place in the middle of a busy suburban road with about a 45mph and not remotely close to an intersection.

In Germany, a person at a crosswalk is given Right of way, and if you do not step as the car is stopping you will get an angry response.

The expectation is all parts move with mechanical precision. And folks from Germany visiting the US, get squarshed every so often ...

I live in a tourist town. They are everywhere wandering around on Main St. Many use the crosswalks and seem cautious, which is wise given all the tourists driving on Main St too! But there are always a bunch in the road either crossing without looking or taking pictures.

That's just what it is, we've learned to happily accept the antics with the tourist $$. What bothers me are those who park illegally in the few clearly sign posted reserved spots for the USPS. No home delivery here, so we must go to the USPS to pick up mail.

The other problem are bicycles, usually e-bikes these days, whizzing around without a care for traffic rules. They're fast and especially dangerous when they are on the sidewalks and cross a road in the crosswalk at high speed.

Pedestrians in parking lots will walk right behind you when backing up, bike riders on paths here blow through stop signs at crossings, and on streets.

Latest exercise in stupidity around here is crosswalks in the middle of a block with no signal control, under state law we are supposed to stop whenever a person is in one of these.

I have no problem with crosswalks as long as they have some sort of warning signal that the pedestrian activates but to have someone walk out into these from between parallel parked cars is a recipe for disaster.

I got jumped all over in a neighborhood group for telling them that they should teach their kids to make eye contact with a driver before they walk out in front of a car. Twice at just about daylight I almost hit a teenage kid when I was trying to pull off my side street onto a main street. Would have my head turned left watching three lanes of oncoming traffic and a kid would walk out in front of me from the right about the time I got ready to go. There was a fence to the right, so folks coming down that way kind of appeared out of nowhere. Once he was a foot in front of my bumper when I turned my head and took my foot off the break. Scared the crap out of me. My dad taught us when we were little to always make sure they see you before you walk out in front of a car. My neighbors just wanted to tell me how it was going to be my fault…Fault or no fault, your kid is going to get hurt.

That's what just boggles my mind.

Doesn't matter who has right of way, who's right, who's wrong, who would be at fault.

In a collision, pedestrian is dead or injured. Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?

I grew up in a town in New Jersey with a major university near by. The collage was on one side of the street and the dorms were on the other.

They had a cross walk for the students However some time it was hard to see them just right before they would cross the road.
I would watch as they would just walk across the road with out even stopping to see if traffic had stopped for them.
Most would never look up before crossing.

I always used to say " they may have the right of way but if they get hit by a truck they are still dead".
I think they eventually put a bridge in over the road, I have not been near there in 15 years.