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I’ve been driving for several decades. I’m also an avid automobile enthusiast, “will talk cars with anyone” kind of a guy. But for 30 minutes every day, I’m ju

I’ve been driving for several decades. I’m also an avid automobile enthusiast, “will talk cars with anyone” kind of a guy. But for 30 minutes every day, I’m just an ordinary pedestrian. And I follow the traffic rules and regulations which apply to pedestrians religiously: always cross at a crosswalk, never cross on Red, even if the intersection is devoid of traffic. Why do I do that? Because as a driver and as a pedestrian, I understand the challenges and the dangers of being on both sides. It has to do with discipline and maintenace of the very high standard of living I enjoy in the country where I live. Being undisciplined would erode that standard. Many pedestrians are undisciplined. I see them crossing the road at places other than a crosswalk. I see them crossing the road on Red, while as a fellow pedestrian I patiently wait to cross at a crosswalk when the traffic light turns Green. It angers me greatly when other pedestrians aren’t disciplined, not only because they erode the standard of living, but because I could have just as easily been the driver who unwittingly hits them and has to live with that for the rest of her or his life.

ck425 9y ago
You're presuming here that the current system is fair and reasonable. As it is, pedestrians are massively inconvenienced so that drivers can speed around in a two ton box of steel. To my mind that's not a fair trade off.
- Annatar 9y ago
  I’m not presuming. Where I live it’s more than fair and reasonable in favor of pedestrians and bicyclists, heavily skewed in their favor as far as traffic laws and infrastructure. Europe isn’t like the States in that respect. And yet a lot of pedestrians don’t abide by traffic laws and a lot of bicyclists actively abuse and violate it. I just had a guy take my right-of-way in a rotor (roundabound) and fly right in anyway although I was already in it and about to make an exit, and when I honked my horn he just waved me down like it was nothing; If I had hit him even though he broke the law, the court would by default favor him because he was on a bicycle, never mind that when they are on one they are a vehicle like any other for the purposes of traffic laws and they have to abide by them.

ck425 9y ago

You're presuming here that the current system is fair and reasonable. As it is, pedestrians are massively inconvenienced so that drivers can speed around in a two ton box of steel. To my mind that's not a fair trade off.

Annatar 9y ago
I’m not presuming. Where I live it’s more than fair and reasonable in favor of pedestrians and bicyclists, heavily skewed in their favor as far as traffic laws and infrastructure. Europe isn’t like the States in that respect. And yet a lot of pedestrians don’t abide by traffic laws and a lot of bicyclists actively abuse and violate it. I just had a guy take my right-of-way in a rotor (roundabound) and fly right in anyway although I was already in it and about to make an exit, and when I honked my horn he just waved me down like it was nothing; If I had hit him even though he broke the law, the court would by default favor him because he was on a bicycle, never mind that when they are on one they are a vehicle like any other for the purposes of traffic laws and they have to abide by them.