Crosswalk conundrum

I had an odd experience driving back to the office this morning after an interview in West Toledo. As I drove north on Erie Street approaching Government Center, a young man strode out into the street at Jackson, completely ignoring the Don't Walk signal and taking a diagonal path, out of the crosswalk, that lengthened the amount of time he would be in the way of on-coming traffic. A block later, a couple of older ladies stood at a crosswalk at Beech, and I stopped and waved them to cross in accordance with the law, but they wouldn't go, apparently out of fear that vehicles in the other lanes on Erie wouldn't stop for them.

So on the one hand we have certain pedestrians who have absolutely no regard for vehicular traffic, and on the other we have those who sufficiently fear motorists' disregard for them that they won't step out even when properly acknowledged by a driver. I'm reminded of George Carlin's routine about the guy who sailed through red lights because "my brother does this all the time" but stopped at greens because "my brother might be coming the other way!" And it leads me to think that a lot of Toledoans, both on foot and behind the wheel, need a refresher course on how to behave around crosswalks.

 

Comments

[Laatmijlos]

There are drivers who never were pedestrians, have never been convicted of running down a pedestrian and somehow are licensed to kill...be aware!

[Trucking Factoring Companies]

There are individuals who never were people on the streets, have never been found guilty of operating down a people and somehow are certified to destroy...be aware

[Freight bill factoring]

The pedestrian jeopardizes his or her safety when crossing outside of a crosswalk zone. Drivers must always be alert to the movements of pedestrians, especially in places that attract them such as downtowns, schools and residential areas."If you're a driver,behave well and if you're a pedestrian, behave well".

[Road Warrior]

I heartily agree: the best solution is for everyone involved with crosswalks to follow the rules. I fear for the safety of both drivers and pedestrians who behave as if the world is looking out for them, so they don't need to pay attention to what they're doing.