Today I was driving Southeast on Newtown.
Traffic was moving, there was a green light and no one in the crosswalk. As I got to the entrance to the parking lot behind Village Hardware, a woman walks straight out in front of me, and then proceeds to scream at me to slow down because she's crossing the street!!!
I yelled right back that there's a "novel invention called the crosswalk" and she should be in it.
She's glaring at me and tells me that I have to stop for pedestrians - to which I answered "not if you're not in the crosswalk".
Seriously???
What IS wrong with these people????
- Gail
Yes, I know it sucks but the rule is pedestrians have the right of way crosswalk or not.
ReplyDelete[...] Although pedestrians would like to think otherwise, there is a reason that the cross walk was invented. Note to all the Hamptonites out there: the cross walk is for walking, the roads are for driving. [TRH] [...]
ReplyDeleteYes they have right of way...
ReplyDeleteBut it seems like when they decide to jay walk its always on a lark. As in, the were hiding between two giant trucks (so to be invisible to passing cars) and then just decide to hop into the street while texting and trying to find their sunglasses (instead of looking for passing death machines) in their giant bags.
I swear a woman did exactly this to me WHILE PUSHING HER BABY IN A STROLLER.
Crosswalks are the safety zone, there is no guarantee when you just stroll (and when I say "stroll", I mean STROLL. Taking. As. Much. Time. As. They. Need. To make sure their seen) across the road at random. Also what IS it about people not bothering to walk the 5 feet to the crosswalk? Let's just walk across the street riiiiight outside of the crosswalk. I assume you've all seen the TCO directing pedestrian traffic from Cole Haan to Elie Tahari? That's all nice and well but you're holding up traffic and you need to not be crossing on MY green light.
ReplyDeleteIt's enough that there are many crosswalks relatively close to each other and that no one can cross at the same time, making you have to sit in traffic enduring beeping horns behind you and people trying to go around you with no cops to catch it. I'm also not going to stop for every person who isn't be safe when it comes to crossing the street. I certainly wouldn't cross where there wasn't a crosswalk. I can barely get cars to stop for me when I'm in one!
I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm not so sure I believe that pedestrians get the right of way at all times. They may think they do but unless you're following the rules, it's fair game for everyone.
P.S. Get off your phones, hold on to your kids and look both ways before darting into the road, even in a crosswalk. Not everyone's paying attention.
What I love are the jaywalkers who take their sweet time. Don't get me wrong, I have jaywalked, but I did so in an embarrassed jog while waving to the waiting driver and mouthing "I'M SORRY!"
ReplyDeleteIf you're ever stuck with a lazy jaywalker, a great activity (especially if your vehicle happens to be crazy loud) is to throw it in neutral and rev the engine so it sounds like you're moving at them. They freak out and jump and mile and then start cursing and waving, even the traffic control officers are laughing at them.