Pedestrian vs. Driver
I commute to work in downtown Halifax from North Dartmouth by foot and bus.
Today I was startled by a driver who insisted it was her role to tell me incorrect procedures for crossing a crosswalk. She beeped her horn and wagged her finger pointing at the flashing hand crosswalk signal. I hollered back huffily stating that I entered the crosswalk when the signal was white- - you know the white man figure that indicates you can cross.
I am hyper-sensitized to pedestrian safety since we bared witness to the death of a young woman at the corner of Sackville and Barrington streets late November 2008. I no longer enter cross walks when the hand is flashing. However when in the middle of a crosswalk and the hand starts flashing, I keep going. I have the right of way.
To the woman who wagged her finger this morning, January 9th, you were mistaken. It is not your role to lecture from behind the wheel; it gets us nowhere. The fact that you distracted me in the middle of a cross walk, and that you proceeded with your right turn through the crosswalk while I was still in the crosswalk could have caused a traumatic event to occur.
I suggest you get out of you car and try being a being a pedestrian for a change. Those lights often are not long enough for anyone to safely cross a road before the hand begins flashing.
By Jen Macdonald
