Pedestrians and Automobiles

My guess is that except for downtown districts in major North American cities, pedestrians are losing the battle of fair use of the road. I know because I have two dogs.

I can proudly say that we are good dog owners. Rain or shine, 30 plus or minus degrees, we walk our dogs 2 to 3 times a day. As a result, we have had our share of near misses during we ritual pounding of the pavement in the past three years. These experiences give me the authority to say that many drivers have already forgotten the fact that they are SHARING the road with people. Living, breathing people with nothing more than a few layers of clothing to protect them from a 3000lb moving metal.

Drivers have got to remember that stop signs and traffic lights are put on side streets not only to direct their turns, but also give pedestrians a chance to cross the road safely. Too many times have I been in a situation where a driver on the left turn lane would just step on the gas and negotiate the turn without first checking for pedestrians. Some would screech to a halt once they realized their carelessness, others would just drive around me and gave me the dirty look, as if to say "how dare you cross the road when I am turning!" Excuse me?

Let me give you an another example. When I was walking my dogs this evening, I heard someone got into a car and started the engine. The sound came from the next driveway. I instinctively slowed down and grabbed a tighter hold on my leashes. Low and behold, the driver of a car parked on that driveway shifted to the reverse gear, and without hesitating for a second he started to back out. In his mind, his only concern was whether there were cars coming from either side of the street. The thought of a pedestrian might be walking on the sidewalk and that he may be causing harm to that person never flashed across that preoccupied mind. I stood on the pavement, fixating my stare at him the whole time he was backing out. The only time he noticed my furious gaze was after his four wheels hit the street and he turned his head to look forward as he was shifting the gears. Was there a hint of guilt? No. Was there an apologetic wave of hand? No. He just drove off as if he has done nothing wrong. That's what pedestrians have been dealing with daily.

Besides, I don't think the government cares much about pedestrian safety either. Here is a question for you, why does the city install those pedestrian press button system in the busy intersections? Why do I have to press the button to make that walking green man shows up in the light box if I want to cross the road? Why can't the city make that little green man shows up every time the traffic light turns green? Cars can still make the turn if there is no one crossing the street. I just don't get it. Is pedestrians crossing the road any less important than drivers making a turn? We both have destinations to reach.

This exposes a fundamental problem with the system. Instead of protecting the vulnerable ones, it is designed to favor drivers with greater right to access the road. That hardly seems fair.

I have made a pack with myself a long time ago. I will pay attention to all pedestrians at all time, and, within reason, I will let them cross the road first before I make my move. After all, I am sitting in a steel wrapped contraption and enclosed in a air-conditioned environment. I can wait.