Go Means Go

I don’t own a car and walk six to ten miles a day on the peninsula. I see a lot of unnecessary traffic tie-ups because pedestrians won’t cede their privilege for the thirty seconds it takes to wait for a break in traffic before jaywalking. And when I choose to defer to traffic, drivers bloody well won’t let me! They screech to a halt if I’m ten feet from the curb but they think I’m even contemplating crossing the street. If I wave them on, they hold up traffic even longer, either giving me the finger or getting out of their car to help me across the street. Is there something I’m missing, here? Is it wrong of me to walk around trying not to unnecessarily impede traffic as I indulge my unmitigated freedom of movement? Is it possible for pedestrians to be too privileged and drivers too polite? Is it possible that, when that happens, no one, least of all a transit bus, gets anywhere on time? Is is possible to reach a better balance between pedestrian rights and traffic flow? —Guerrilla Pedestrian

This article appears in Feb 6-12, 2014.