PSA TO HALIFAX DRIVERS (more specifically to Halifax drivers who regularly turn right from Chebucto onto Mumford): That little human-like-figure you see blinking at you–the one that is down and to the right of the stop lights you can’t seem to look past – means THAT PEDESTRIANS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY. Which–and this is may by shocking to some–means STOP DRIVING! STOP TURNING! STOP SLOWLY INCHING FORWARD TO PASSIVE AGGRESSIVELY TELL ME TO WALK FASTER! It is not a game of how-many-cars-can-sneak-by-before-the-person-walking-is-halfway-through-the-intersection. So, the next time you are at that exchange, please, for the love of God, public safety, and my sanity—stop. Fucking. Driving. —Wrong On Red
This article appears in Feb 1-7, 2018.
That’s a bad corner, especially when you’re walking down the hill with your back to the traffic. The sweeping nature of the turn promotes this behavior as cars can make that turn without slowing down significantly, unlike a 90 degree right turn at most other intersections. It doesn’t excuse bad driving though as you suggest. It also doesn’t help that people regularly bomb down Chebucto going 80 km/h as they approach that intersection. Gotta watch out for yourself.
It’s because neither you the pedestrian nor me the cyclist have paid a tax to make the roads; that or Halifax motorists are maniacal psychopaths. I’m leaning toward the latter…
@Voidoun: We (pedestrians and cyclists) absolutely pay the taxes to make the roads. Most roads in HRM are owned by HRM, and HRM gets its money through property taxes. So if you own a house, or even if you rent (flowing through to the landlord’s property taxes), you are paying for roads.
OB: just tonight I saw a woman stop at a red light, look to see that no cars were coming, and then drive right through the blaringly obvious red light. Nothing surprises me anymore. Self-driving cars cannot come fast enough.
I was referring to gas taxes; and it still doesn’t make motorists any less psychotic.