To the lady in the blue car at the intersection of Windsor and Bayers Road Monday afternoon who shook her fist at me for crossing perfectly legally in a marked pedestrian crossing. Read the Nova Scotia Driver’s Handbook, page 43. Not even if I broke into a jog could I have crossed that intersection before the don’t walk sign started flashing. Thanks for ruining my walk home Ms. Road Rage.
—7 months pregnant
This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2009.
That is a terrible crossing…..it’s built for cars NOT walkers.
You should have shook your fist right back at her.
I had a similar incident happen on Windsor and North last year. The walk sign was lit up when i started to cross, changed halfway through and a car squealed turning left, went behind me, honked the horn and the driver yelled at me. I gave her the finger. Fuck that shit. I totally feel for ya OP, I hope you have more pleasant walks in the future.
Road rage incidents should count like negative feedback (used to) on eBay. Some people will get a little they don’t deserve, but in the end, the biggest idiots will amass the most, by far.
Making driver licensing fees rise along with the number of these incidents might get people to chill a bit more.
That’s actually a good idea Dogma, but it’s completely subjective, unfortunately.
I don’t have a problem with road rage. Why should I pay up?
Has anyone ever…you know , WALKED FASTER !
Ehzeus, you watch many of the persons crossing the damn streets of Halifax & they C…r….a….w….L…. across the damn road.
You say you don’t have time to craw…I mean WALK across the street in the time allowed . The solution is very simple RUN !
Problem solved. Your pregnant, not handcapped.
More, you are a class act, through and through.
I’m pretty sure that the PSA we dumped a pile of money into clearly warns against running in a crosswalk.
I think I remember something about that in grade 1 or 2 as well.
Honking at a pregnant lady, how rude. BTW, definitely not a fan of that PSA. Bring back the talking harbour!
I know LTTWBers aren’t typically sympathetic towards the knocked up, but I gotta say, carrying around a fetus in one’s uterus WILL slow them down a bit, especially as one approaches the 40 week mark. I’m sure the OP was waddling as fast as she could. Give her a break, More.
I wonder what the Talking Harbour would say now, what with all those beach whistles and other floatables gargling around in its maw.
Pretty Kitty , I absolutely agree with you about a woman near the end of term ‘being slowed’ by her condition. So wouldn’t that mean if any intelligence was present, that you would wait until you have the time to cross before you start across. Even where the walk lite is only on for a short time, the flashing don’t walk symbol flashes more than twice, before the signals to the cars change. If you arrive at the light & its been green awhile & you know your moving slow. take a break, stand there & rest your aching back & WAIT for the next walk signal ! I know… I know, how dare I suggest that any pedestrian stand still for more than a second or 2 anywhere but at there favorite coffeee shop or food/bar emporium :-
More that suggestion just sounds stupid , why couldn’t the person in the car just wait the extra couple of seconds for the person to cross. If you walk up to the lights and it says walk,then you walk.
The flashing hand means don’t enter the crosswalk. When the red hand has stopped flashing it means your turn is up, you are now jaywalking. You must have known before you entered the crosswalk that you would need the full time, why didn’t you wait? Do you feel everyone else should wait for you?
Kirbul, I find the price of gas outrageous. WHy should I add to the air polution I’m already doing by leaving my truck ideling longer?
You can’t cross the road in a timely manner…why can’t you wait ?
Also no matter what a light reads, it should never take the place of common (or uncommon) sense. When you come to an intersection Stop ! look ! listen ! & be aware. If your not following those simple steps, your in too big a hurry & will be the one who causes a mishap.
Yeah! Why would you horribly traumatize someone by making them wait 3 extra seconds?
I don’t know what being pregnant has to do with this post. Case of someone having a bad day some one not moving quickly enough and then tempers flying. walker and drivers have to be more aware and respectful of one another. DONE
The fault here is at HRM’s doorstep since they are in charge of timing those fucking lights. Many in the city are perfectly ridiculous for the amount of time they give you. Whether you’re pregnant, disabled or elderly, these long crosswalks need to give people REASONABLE time to cross. If Hub-Unit and I were crossing, we’d be slower than a moose with two legs – any driver who can’t wait a few extra seconds can go impale themselves on the wrong end of a jackhammer.
Maybe if you didn’t weight yourself down with rocks, you could get across the street faster.
in theory, yes. but i’m never in a hurry to cross the street anyways; its my fat-given right to take my sweet ass time.
So would it be ok for a car to go through a yellow, sit on the crosswalk waiting a minute for the traffic to advance- meanwhile making the pedestrian wait or walk around the car?
Thanks for your comments. Actually, I started to cross immediately when the walk signal started and those lights (Bayers/Young and Windsor) don’t give enough time to even walk briskly across before they start flashing don’t walk so I had to keep walking. I agree that being pregnant shouldn’t normally interfere with crossing a pedestrian crossing but I mentioned it because I just wanted to emphasize the fact that if jogging across the cross walk to make it before it starts flashing is the only option, then I don’t feel it is a safe option for me in case I tripped while running. 7 Months pregnant.
You don’t have to be off the crosswalk until the red hand is solid(not flashing). Flashing means do not Enter the crosswalk. You don’t have to make it across before it starts to flash. You have to make it across by the time it stops flashing. I don’t know how else to say it. Read the NSDH one more time.
I read the NSDH last night and I agree…so that is why people shouldn’t start waving their fists around at you while you finish crossing during a flashing “don’t walk”. HRM Traffic Services is going to send a technician out to check out the timing of these lights.
That IS a shitty intersection. There are actually a few like that throughout the city. And while I try to move quickly out of drivers’ way while walking about town, I never pass up an opportunity to flash one the finger as they hurry past me on a crosswalk if I have the right of way.
Balls, not sure exactly, but I don’t think you’re even supposed to enter the intersection until you can proceed through entirely. And stopping on a crosswalk is a no no too. But don’t quote me, I haven’t got my NSDH right on hand! 😉
I don’t believe we will ever find a happy medium with peds and drivers…especially the more and more there are.