This is going to be a polite rant-out to all the pedestrians in the HRM. Repeat after me … cross walks ARE NOT red carpets! They’re designed to help you get from one side of the road to the other, hopefully safely. They’re not open invitations to stroll out onto without any consideration to oncoming traffic. Use common sense people! I realize most of you have never driven a car before, so let me shed some light on the situation. If you see 1 or 2 cars approaching and a clear road behind them … wave us on through! It sucks slamming on the brakes so you can cross 5 seconds sooner. Show some CONSIDERATION!
Close Call #1: Driving my truck yesterday with nobody behind me, and no oncoming traffic, 2 ladies (talking up a storm btw) jump out onto the cross walk. One casually holds her arm/hand out while my truck comes to a screeching halt. As they laughed their way to the other side I couldn’t help but think, now I know how “accidents” happen.
Close Call #2: Same truck after sun went down, same situation, 2 students leap out and barely look to see that I’m approaching at 40 km’s with 1500 lbs of freight on board. Brake hard, swerve right, fight off snow bank, avoid crushing students, and BAAM there goes my right side mirror on the telephone pole. Thanks guys! Common sense would have observed I was the only one coming and common courtesy would have waved me on through.
I’ve never been to a more polite city when it comes to pedestrians. I walk too!! I was amazed when I first came to Halifax of this rare occurrence. Try pulling the above stunts in Toronto, Montreal, or anywhere else for that matter … SPLAT!
So people, on behalf of all drivers I plead you to use a little judgment before you run the red carpet and think you’re entitled to the road. Look, think, and be smart. It might just SAVE YOUR LIFE! —Carpet Cleaning Courier
This article appears in Feb 7-13, 2013.
Repeat after me, pedestrians have the right of way. If you have such a problem stopping your vehicle, then I suggest slowing down. Crosswalks are also marked, you can adjust your speed accordingly, like when a stop sign or yellow light might be coming up. You can slam on your brakes and wait five seconds, your the one in a heated car that will probably get to your destination first. And I realize its been ahwile since most motorists walked anywhere, if ever, so have some common courtesy for the pedestrians (and cyclists). Now I understand how accidents happen, people who ignore the law that pedestrians have the right of way. Adjust your speed accordingly, and god bless.
I guess in OB’s mind, if you drive a big truck that somehow entitles you to preferential treatment and also gives you the right to ignore some of the most basic rules of the road… Am I right, OB?
I agree with Sonic on this one. Here is some friendly advice from someone else who is also a licensed driver and safety-conscious pedestrian – Slow the fuck down!!
There’s responsibility on both parties involved. Pedestrians at a minimum should be sure they have the drivers’ attention (i.e. make eye contact) and that traffic is stopped in all directions before stepping off the curb. Don’t be lulled into this false sense of security that because you pushed a button and the little stick man is “walking”, that you are somehow invincible. You will eventually lose that game.
Likewise, drivers should be on alert at all times, moreso in urban centres where there are higher concentrations of pedestrians and thus, higher possibilities of someone walking out in front of you. If you are familiar with the area or if you can see that you are approaching a cross walk, prepare yourself. Slow down and be extra vigilant as you get closer. Expect the unexpected. Above all and probably most importantly, be patient.
Slowing down would be a wise decision, else jaywalkers will get the best of you.
You don’t want to cross the Captain now do you?
I’m on the fence with this Bitch. While OB should be driving slower where there’s marked crosswalks and be more aware, pedestrians have the responsibility to pause long enough to make sure they ain’t forcing one of those ‘SCHREEEECCCCCCHHHH BANG” moments. Being patient isn’t going to kill you..to either party!
Totally agree, Scoot.
My “be patient” comment could definitely apply to both parties.
Invincible Student Syndrome isn’t quarantined in Halifax…
It’s a full-blown pandemic.
As for the rest of us, you do your part and we’ll do ours.
After reading what I posted, I realized I omitted something serious but it was covered. Make sure the driver sees you, eye contact is a must. A pedestrian does have the right of way, but I believe in common sense a bit more. If the driver doesn’t seem to want to stop, I do the fake off the curb step then they stop. I love walking, I love cycling more. With the snow and ice around I find myself going for 8-10 km walks at least twice a week. I have more bitches as a pedestrian than cyclist, I could swamp the moderator with my war stories.
People today in too much of a rush……git off mah lawn!
Winter has to be over soon…I need my bike out for my sanity.
Walker! pay attention, Driver! stop driving like a fucking spaz.
op, you lost your mirror because of pedestrian negligence, what would the pedestrian lose for yours?
the person with the bigger bucket has the greater responsibility.
” If you see 1 or 2 cars approaching and a clear road behind them … wave us on through! It sucks slamming on the brakes so you can cross 5 seconds sooner.”
FUCK YOU OB! You’re going to get to your destination 800 times faster than I’m getting to mine. If you can safely stop so I may use the crosswalk, then that’s what I expect you to do because it’s the DAMN LAW. If I were wishy-washy and waved motorists through because there’s only 1 or 2 cars, I’d never fucking get anywhere on time.
Of course the pedestrian can rely on that Star Trek forcefield to keep them safeij
Amen Scooter. I’m chomping at the bit to get the bike out. I was sick of taking the bus before I even had to, (put bike away for the winter).
I got early spring fever this year. It’s feckin’ killing me!
I got an order coming soon with new handgrips and a choke cable to install, Avast. I’m hoping that’ll tide me over. Gah!
You’re telling me. I only got to ride 2 days last year despite having 12 months of insurance.
🙁 baby’s coming home this summer.
Wow, most pedestrians don’t own cars. Didn’t know that.
OB SHUT UP ! ! ! !
I personally pray to my god that these people go to the mentioned cities, end up as road kill . WHich has some really positive upsides
1) in dying young, it improves the quality of a gene pool without them & ther’ inability of contributing any offspring by self termination.
2) never bless our area with their presence again.( so we don’t have to keep avoiding them)
3) 1 less person, at over 7 billion of us … a few hundred million less can only help the environment … so its kinda a green thing ~;D
A post in this thread was blaming the OB for speeding…..even tho a speed of 40km was mentioned in 1 of the 2 incidents. That’s not speeding.
A post said to slow down to (presumably) allow for people jumping out into traffic, to allow for every stupid contingency? Surrounding traffic will not put up with a driver creeping along at 10 clicks through intersections.
I drive and I walk……most do. I hear Ya OB…..I hear Ya!
The greatest risk to injury is with the walker, therefor the greatest responsibility is with the walker.
As a driver you have so many more limitations as to view, reaction time, stop-ability, etc. Drivers are in fluid motion, fast paced, lots of interaction with many other street objects doing all kinds of other shit in all directions.
As a walker you can see very clearly in 360 degrees. (Sonic: another secret please for degrees!) The walker is just standing there…..and should be very aware of surroundings.
Walkers must watch every vehicle…..make eye contact with every vehicle…..then walker gets to keep walking and driver gets to keep driving. Walkers are covered in flesh.
My point on the slowing down was about crosswalks, think of small children, the mentally handicap and the old senile ones that all use crosswalks. Would anyone want the guilty conscience of actually killing a person to prove a point? If you couldn’t stop in time would you want to kill a child that crossed without looking just to prove that 40kph is legal? I do agree it works both ways, but, pedestrians have the right of way and as an operator of a motor vehicle, you have the greater responsibility. No matter the agravation, pedestrians arn’t going away and are in the right of way.
Smee°, Alt 0176.
More; I was gonna fight with you till you mentioned the Green part, I got yo back now if you ever need it.
Your secret is safe with Smee, Sonic. I’ll tell no one!
I like that….”Smee°”. Smee degree! Ha Ha.
Smee to the power of nothing! Ha Ha. That’s Smee!
If there’s a pedestrian…..why isn’t there an autoestrian?
Or a wheelestrian? Maybe a rollestrian or rollingestrian.
Why is the only estrian a ped?
Only stupid people get hit in crosswalks. Only you, the pedestrian, can be absolutely sure the driver sees you. I let my insurance be my conscience, seeing as I will always be the winner when I’m wrapped snugly in my 1.5 ton steel cage. Always better to be cautious when you know you’re going to lose, whether you’re “right” or not.
Pedestrian DO NOT have the right of way when a vehicle is so close to the crosswalk that it is impractical for the vehicle to stop.
So let me get this straight. When I’m out for a walk, in a bright orange jaket with reflective strips, in the daytime, at a cross walk, making eye contact with motorists, that is still not enough to make them stop for the peds. And it has happened plentyful times.
Maybe I should soak myself in gasoline and ignite me ablaze to get attention that I want to cross the road.
Señor Campana….you miss the point….Smee can prove it!
A challenge: You wear all black or navy blue…..choose a dark and rainy night downtown……pull the hood (blinkers) over your head and only look straight ahead. MP3 player and earbuds engaged. Singing along is encouraged.
Now…..walk back and forth across the crosswalk every 5 minutes. Don’t peek!
(But you must stay between the lines of the crosswalk!! Otherwise you’ll have no protection.)
Could you do this?
No, you couldn’t, not if you want to live and have half a brain.
Conclusion: Cross Walkers being hit either don’t want to live or have less than half a brain.
^^ is this some kind of alien logic? some kind of otherworld cause & effect sequence that makes no sense whatsoever to the human brain?
i wore a red coat this morning
it rained this morning
conclusion: if i wear a red coat it will rain.
i ‘proved it’.
sheesh.
Good God Molly……alien to many indeed.
I felt the neon burning bush scenario stated by Señor missed the point. I was attempting to reinforce the point.
The point of the OB….right?
The point was for walkers to use common sense and good judgement before crossing. To look, think, and be smart. Save a life…..yours. The point was not visual presence.
So…..I set up a scenario where I pushed the parameters to the other extreme from Señor’s. That was by putting out a challenge to NOT look, listen, think, or be smart. I wanted Señor to think about himself carrying out the challenged scenario. I questioned if he could do that stupid challenge. I think not.
Why not? Because it defied common sense and good judgement. That’s all the OB was asking of us…..common sense and good judgement.
Using Smee’s alien logic…..I thought that proved he missed the point.
perhaps the operative words here are indeed ‘stupid’ challenge. it makes no sense whatsoever to issue it, as senor already stated his belief, based on first hand experience, that no amount of ‘action’ on his part could guarantee his safe passage at a crosswalk.
imo, senor was responding to the point of the bitch, and seemed to hit it dead on.
arguing a point is not the same as missing the point.
I thought Señor was trying to communicate he want’s to cross…..not guarantee his safe passage at a crosswalk.
My mistake…..I guess Señor is right, and he should soak himself in gasoline and be ignited into a blaze of fire to communicate that he wants to cross the road.
It could be mistaken for a protest of another cause though.
let’s see if he responds to the sound of small brass bells….
Maybe Senor has his own personal force field. Of course he’s right but he will still be injured or dead if he tries to cross a street and it is not clear. Do you want to be hurt and right or wait and be in the same shape you were a few minutes ago. There are idiot drivers and idiot pedestrians. Unfortunately steel wins over flesh every time.
Yes sir……every time.
Small brass bells?
small brass bells…smee, weren’t you referring to the buddhist nuns that set themselves on fire to protest?
ok, ok, i was over thinking it.