What Was She Thinking?
Sixty-some years ago two post-war, baby-boom parents began teaching their son about looking both ways before crossing a road, and then proceeding only if it was safe. Since they did not live in a city, they didn’t worry too much about teaching him about crosswalks. It was almost an after-thought, but when they did spend time in cities they taught him to use crosswalks when he needed to cross the street. But the rules of looking both ways and proceeding when safe were the bedrock procedure they taught.
A dozen years or so ago some (possibly) well-meaning legislator decided that pedestrians on a crosswalk should have the right-of-way over oncoming traffic, and he or she persuaded a majority of lawmakers to go along with this. At the stroke of a pen, common sense had a stroke.
Since I first heard about this new, upside-down law giving pedestrians in a crosswalk the right-of-way I have been worried about its unintended consequences. I have adjusted my driving to accommodate it, but I have not changed my street-crossing algorithm. Just because I can step out into oncoming traffic if I step into a crosswalk, that does not change my internal wiring. I still look both ways and proceed only when it’s safe. And I still use crosswalks when I have to cross a street in a city.
Yesterday I was driving home from a camping trip towing my 2-and-a-half ton travel trailer. I was traveling below the speed limit (30MPH) in the City of Canandaigua. I was on a side street. I was paying attention to my driving, but there was also a lot going on inside the car, with my wife on the phone and my 5-year-old granddaughter in the back chattering away. As I got near one of the many crosswalks in the city my eyes did pick up a pedestrian on the left, approaching the crosswalk. I was close enough to the crosswalk that I decided that it would be unsafe to try to stop. My total weight with trailer and truck was close to 10,000 pounds (5 tons.) No matter what, it takes a pretty good distance to stop 10,000 pounds moving along at nearly 30 miles per hour.
Yes; this pedestrian did look me in the eye and yes, there was a look of defiance there as she stepped out into the crosswalk.
-Speak
A dozen years or so ago some (possibly) well-meaning legislator decided that pedestrians on a crosswalk should have the right-of-way over oncoming traffic, and he or she persuaded a majority of lawmakers to go along with this. At the stroke of a pen, common sense had a stroke.
Since I first heard about this new, upside-down law giving pedestrians in a crosswalk the right-of-way I have been worried about its unintended consequences. I have adjusted my driving to accommodate it, but I have not changed my street-crossing algorithm. Just because I can step out into oncoming traffic if I step into a crosswalk, that does not change my internal wiring. I still look both ways and proceed only when it’s safe. And I still use crosswalks when I have to cross a street in a city.
Yesterday I was driving home from a camping trip towing my 2-and-a-half ton travel trailer. I was traveling below the speed limit (30MPH) in the City of Canandaigua. I was on a side street. I was paying attention to my driving, but there was also a lot going on inside the car, with my wife on the phone and my 5-year-old granddaughter in the back chattering away. As I got near one of the many crosswalks in the city my eyes did pick up a pedestrian on the left, approaching the crosswalk. I was close enough to the crosswalk that I decided that it would be unsafe to try to stop. My total weight with trailer and truck was close to 10,000 pounds (5 tons.) No matter what, it takes a pretty good distance to stop 10,000 pounds moving along at nearly 30 miles per hour.
Yes; this pedestrian did look me in the eye and yes, there was a look of defiance there as she stepped out into the crosswalk.
-Speak
