Whenever I am approaching a crosswalk in my car and I notice that there is a pedestrian on the sidewalk close to the crosswalk I slow down and pay close attention to them. Because many times they will appear to have no intention of crossing the street, but then at the very last second, when I am about 5 meters away they will do a sharp 90 degree turn and step out right in front of my vehicle! Sometimes they will even have it in their mind that I am in the wrong and they need to flail their arms and yell to remind me that it is a crosswalk.
I am new to living in the Maritimes, and in my home province (which I won’t reveal to protect my identity) hint* it’s left of Quebec and right of Manitoba, Crosswalks are not so plentiful. I am just wondering what kind of responsibility pedestrians have at crosswalks, have there ever been instances where the pedestrian is at fault for an accident? I don’t want to get charged if I end up hitting some dipshit, listening to their ipod and not paying attention. —Rare Breed (Safe Ontario Driver)
This article appears in Sep 8-14, 2011.
It is your responsibility around here to always yield crosswalks to pedestrians. It’s how things work.
In fact, apparently even a jaywalker has the right of way (according to one ex-hrm cop) I think that’s going a little far. However, at a crosswalk or a green light you come second.
Yepp — peds have the right of way in crosswalks here no matter what.
IIRC, you’re actually supposed to stop when someone’s there waiting to cross at a non-stop-light crosswalk. No one does, but apparently you’re supposed to.
I think the bitch is about the pedestrians who are ambiguous on there intentions to cross; and then suddenly walk on out in to the street, thinking all cars can and must stop on a dime for them. You know; they are looking down; standing back on to the cross walk, texting or rooting through a bag, and then bam, walk on out.
If you want to cross the street then act like you do!
Yeah I agree, just like drivers do, peds should signal their intentions. It’s only fair and everyone benefits.
jaywalking is not legal.. that’s just silly.
In fact, I remember a paper article where a lady jaywalked and got smoked on Quinpool….
they took her to the hospital and gave her a ticket for almost 300 bucks.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_12lY7fdQ2rE/SQMq…
If I hit someone who was jaywalking and they dented my car, I’d sue them for the $$$ to fix mah car.
I jay walk all the time. Until they put crosswalks at all bus stops, I’m not walking a km down the road either way just to cross the street to my apartment when the bus stop is right across the street.
There’ve been a couple of accidents where the published report ends with “No charges are expected to be laid”. In other words, the pedestrian crossed in such a manner that the driver isn’t at fault.
Every corner is a crosswalk in the eyes of John Law.
This happened to me the other day, but I was the pedestrian. I pay attention when I’m out and about, but all too frequently, drivers speed up to apparently no intention of stopping, only to slam on the breaks when they see me. Since they don’t understand the rules of the road (no intention of actually coming to a stop at a stop sign), and drive dangerously (speeding down a residential street), I’m a little hesitant about stepping out in front of you.
Also, some people’s idea of “slowing down” is still way to fast. I’m not going to step out in front of a car that’s 15 feet away but still going forty, even if your intention is for me to cross the street.
The worst of all are the idiots who look one way for a chance to go, and don’t even look in the other direction to see if there is a pedestrian coming. I have almost been hit by SO MANY of these people, when I was RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM. It’s pathetic that some people can’t pay attention to what’s 6 inches in front of their bumper.
oh sorry, crossWALKERS I read crossDRESSERS – same rule applies, dress on the right.
Some of the jaywalkers I’ve seen downtown are like fucking sandpipers scuttling back and forth in front of a rogue wave.
You wanna see some jay walkers who take their lives into their own hands, go to wolfville. My parents’ve rear ended twice there because people (usually dumb students) think drivers can magically stop on a dime.
It’s INSANE there.
If you hit a pedestrian, he probably won’t be charged with murder but EXPECT a manslaughter charge. Any questions?
I agree that there are terrible drivers out there but of all my years of being a pedestrian (my whole life) I have never really had any close calls because I would never step foot on the road without getting eye contact with a driver! Keep looking around while you’re in the crosswalk too for turning vehicles and vehicles trying to race the yellow light. I also walk the extra 30 seconds to marked crosswalks.
OP, don’t worry about it. Pedestrians here have been charged with failing to provide sufficient stopping distance to the approaching cars at a crosswalk. A cop friend of mine says pedestrians have it in their itty bitty brains that an impenetrable, invisible barrier goes up on the sides of the crosswalk to block cars. So keep driving. If those walkers don’t look, don’t stop.
It always boils down to being alert. Drivers, slow down near crosswalks people don’t always pay attention when “walk” flashes and pedestrians put that left hand up if something is coming, make eye contact.
people don’t like making eye _onta_t anymore. they would rather look at their phones
it’s funny… I’ve nearly been clipped a few times before but it’s always when I’m in a good mood.
On this shitty, morose days when I just couldn’t give any less of a fuck and walk out in downtown traffic -sometimes without looking… not even a glance- I’ve never had any issues.
odd how this twisted world works.
sebastian i hope we meet at a crosswalk one day. I’ll own you AND your car 😀 I dare you buggers to hit me. I could use the money.
No but seriously.. yes. Indecisive cross walkers are an issue in this city.. in any city where foot passengers NOT protected by a ton of steel are considered more vulnerable and more important than the guy protected by a ton of steel you’re gonna get runoff like that. Hapless wanderers who just can’t seem to figure out which way they want to go. Here’s the thing: If you see them be patient. Honk if they get really annoying (like if they’re stopping to tie their shoes or text) but if you don’t see them and they dart out in front of you, no rational person would assume that’s your fault.
OMG THANK YOU!!! i thought i was the ONLY ONTARIO driver who feels the same way. fucking crosswalks! you definitely don’t find these ANYWHERE where I’m from. Its called a stop light for a reason, cross there. Ive been here for less then a month and already i am SO angry with these cross walks not to mention drivers who feel the need to fucking slam on their breaks before every fucking cross walk even when no one is wanting to cross..Is it just me or is it something to do with the slow paced lifestyle here?
not really… it’s more to do with the fact that fucking idiots… usually CFA’s …. mow down people in crosswalks every week in the city. just wait for the newspaper article. it’s been a bit, we’re due.
Lol slow paced… I generally think when people say they’re from “Ontario” and not “Toronto” that they’re from absolute fucking shithole small towns in Ontario and if you think people are slow paced here – FUCK they’re absolutely frozen in any small town in Ontario I have been in. I stopped into a Tim Horton’s on my way to the Ottawa airport in some town and I ordered a cappuccino and a sandwich. Twenty-five minutes later I’m finally leaving the store. They had like five people working and there was maybe five of us in the fucking store. Any store I went to while I was visiting a different small town, the clerks seemed friggin’ brain dead and it took them the longest time to do a simple task like ring through 3 items.
I can’t think of anything worse than being from some craphole small town in Ontario.
Or Scarborough. That’d suck pretty bad too.
What are you talking about Mel? Things change at a fast pace in small town Ontario, for intance we got a new stop sign… 10 years ago, ok I see your point. But don’t you think it is pretty unfair to base your entire perception of rural Ontario on your experience at a couple Tim Hortons? I find that the cashiers here at Sobeys are pretty slow, so does that make me think that the entire province sucks? No, that would be stupid of me now wouldn’t it?
Oh it wasn’t just at a few Tim Horton’s m_kegg, it was any place I went into. I think if any place in a small town should be fast, it’s the Tim Horton’s. But anyway, I wasn’t really hating on all of Ontario, I was only responding to Lovepink’s statement that Nova Scotia drivers stop at all crosswalks because of our “slow-paced” lifestyles.
Depeche Mel I can assure you my “town” in Ontario isn’t small, i fact it has over 130,000 people with more coming each year. Its NORTH of Toronto. I to was at a tim hortons going to CAPE BRETON last week in a small shitty ass nothing town and waited 15 minutes to get my order taken when i was the first person in the line up of 5 or 6 people, I ordered a coffee and two cookies and it took them another 10 minutes to make it. So from your little rant about a tim hortons in ontario being “slow” doesn’t mean that the town is full of fuck heads since I had the same situation happen to me in nova scotia. And funny thing is when i told friends, family, and co-workers of mine that i had plans to move down east they ALL said Its so beautiful and SLOW PACED out there.
Yes, those are my exact points. I hardly think a population of 130 000 is the New York you’re making it out to be, btw. I never said Nova Scotia is larger and better than Ontario in any way, I was just responding to your comparison. Any small town will have a more slower way of doing things, which was my point. You said the reason for us being cautious around crosswalks and slowing down near them was because we’re soooo slow paced and don’t give a fuck right? You made it seem like all of ONTARIO (I’ll be sure to put that in caps for your comfort) is just packed full of busy people running around all the time when in fact most of Ontario is rural, same with all provinces so don’t act like Ontario’s shit doesn’t stink. We all stink.
Pffft!…small town…rural community….Rookies, the lot of ya! None of you have the slightest clue what it’s like.
I’m from P.E.I. originally. My whole PROVINCE is a small rural town! You can’t take a shit without someone knowing what colour it is and if there are any peanuts in it, 5 minutes later.
Party lines have only been eliminated since 1997. Charlottetown has only had an operational transit system in place for the past 2 years. Etc, etc.
(none of these are complaints, btw)
Come talk to me after you come from a REAL small town.
I never said Ontario was the greatest, believe me i have come across lots of stupid drivers and slow people there as well. There will always be people who shouldn’t be driving a car or shouldn’t be doing the job that they have. Some people aren’t very efficient now a day’s. I clearly don’t have any say in these crosswalk areas so I am just going to have to get used to it, aren’t i? I just wanted to say that coming from a Town ( which by the way isn’t like New York but it sure as hell is just as busy and crazy in most parts of it. I would say its definitely starting to become like Toronto) in Ontario where there is no crosswalks only street lights and stop signs that maybe pedestrians should start being a little more considerate even if they have the right of way you aren’t supposed to just step out onto the street without looking in both directions to make sure its clear. That is something you learn at a very young age.