2 ms·

This is why I practically never run within ten feet of a car's front at intersections. If they've stopped, made eye contact, and nodded or waved me on, then may

This is why I practically never run within ten feet of a car's front at intersections. If they've stopped, made eye contact, and nodded or waved me on, then maybe. At least once a week, I encounter a driver who almost certainly would have hit me if I hadn't followed this rule. One counter-intuitive result is that I cross more often against the "walk" light than with it. If I have the walk light, it usually means the cars next to me also have a green light (which is kind of insane really). Some of them will be turning, and they're far more likely to do so without looking than someone turning at a red. The A-pillar visibility issue also affects them more. It's generally safer to wait for a red light and look for a suitable gap in the cross traffic (plus right turners). Also, a pox on anybody who tucks a crosswalk fifteen to twenty feet down the smaller street. Yes, it's further out of traffic, but it's also further out of where any driver might be looking. I will always stay in a direct line (and pay close attention to traffic) rather than take the extra steps to destroy my own safety.

megablast 5y ago
The best trick is to avoid running anywhere near cars at all. Find a nice track. Of course, don't drive there, cycle there or use a scooter. What's the point if you are making the world unsafe for others.
- giantg2 5y ago
  Generally better on the joints to avoid asphalt and concrete anyways.
- notacoward 5y ago
  > Find a nice track. Get used to the idea that not everyone lives in the same circumstances as you. The closest tracks to me are at schools, 1-2km away, and reserved for use by the students during prime outdoor-activity hours. That's probably better than for a lot of people, and even then it's nowhere near an equivalent option. Oh yeah, also we have real winters here. Streets are plowed. Tracks aren't. > cycle there Hardly better. Car/bike interactions are no picnic either, and I'm also tired of cyclists thinking they're better than pedestrians somehow. It's just not so. In this case I suspect they're even worse for safety, adding yet another mismatched speed and cutting into everyone's margin of error by a greater amount. I don't see anything good or honorable about discouraging people from a healthy activity - running on streets and/or sidewalks - that can be done safely if one takes appropriate care.

megablast 5y ago

The best trick is to avoid running anywhere near cars at all. Find a nice track. Of course, don't drive there, cycle there or use a scooter. What's the point if you are making the world unsafe for others.

giantg2 5y ago
Generally better on the joints to avoid asphalt and concrete anyways.
notacoward 5y ago
> Find a nice track. Get used to the idea that not everyone lives in the same circumstances as you. The closest tracks to me are at schools, 1-2km away, and reserved for use by the students during prime outdoor-activity hours. That's probably better than for a lot of people, and even then it's nowhere near an equivalent option. Oh yeah, also we have real winters here. Streets are plowed. Tracks aren't. > cycle there Hardly better. Car/bike interactions are no picnic either, and I'm also tired of cyclists thinking they're better than pedestrians somehow. It's just not so. In this case I suspect they're even worse for safety, adding yet another mismatched speed and cutting into everyone's margin of error by a greater amount. I don't see anything good or honorable about discouraging people from a healthy activity - running on streets and/or sidewalks - that can be done safely if one takes appropriate care.