crosswalks - use them
The pope says you should quit driving like a jerk. Of course, he didn’t address pedestrians.
A couple more people were hit by a car yesterday. They tried to cross a busy street. They were not in a crosswalk.
You do realize that crosswalks are not just suggestions, right?
Tags: car-nage, transportation
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June 20th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Until crosswalks have more meaning in Florida I think it’s safe to say that people will still choose to forgo them in the interest of convenience. Crosswalks around here just seem to delineate those area where the game is Chicken instead of Frogger.
June 20th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
St. Pete has realy good crosswalks and I use them religiously.
Pedestrians who just step out into traffic are f*cking assh*les. Seriously, if you hit somebody walking, your life is ruined. You killed someone. The papers are gonna have a field day with you. The family’s gonna try a civil suit. You’re f*cked.
All because some jerk doesn’t understand that a car weighs, like, 5,000 lbs and CAN KILL YOU.
Traffic signals exist for EVERYONE’s benefit.
June 20th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
You’re right Rachel*, but the problem is compounded when drivers don’t really obey the laws that govern their responsibility towards pedestrians in crosswalks. I’ve been nearly struck more than once because some asshat decides to make a left on a solid green trying to beat traffic, while I’m legally crossing in the crosswalk. They only look at the other big metal dealers-of-death and don’t bother to check for the squishy little pedestrian in the crosswalk who has right-of-way. So far, only once has the driver honked at me as if I’m in the wrong, but needless to say, using a crosswalk in Tampa feels a bit like playing chicken. Right or wrong I’ll choose to lose. I’ll take breathing over a nice death benefit payable to my kinfolk any day.
I’ve spent a bit of time in pedestrian-friendly communities, it’s much nicer. Boulder, CO is one that stands out in my mind. For example, there was a crosswalk mid-block on a four-lane street, with no pedestrian signal. A pickup was coming down from the left on the inside lane. Since the outside lane was clear, as I would have done in Tampa, I stepped out, timing my crossing to pass safely behind the truck moving about 40mph. No sooner did my foot leave the curb and land on the asphalt did the truck come to a complete stop and allow me to cross in front of him. That’s not the only example I saw while I was there. Now that’s a place that takes it’s pedestrians and crosswalk laws seriously.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:17 pm
I haven’t walked around Tampa like that in awhile, but in St Pete, usually when the drivers can’t see me, I’ve noticed it’s because the corner obstructs their view somehow.
4th St. and 5th Ave. is very bad, but that’s about it. 3rd and 5th looks bad, too, but the signs actually tell you where to cross.