Originally Posted by
UniChris
It's what they are obligated to. Also most intersections in the city itself have traffic lights or stop signs, so there are relatively few situations where you encounter an uncontrolled crossing.
Are you implying that motorists who are driving though an intersection on a through street (without a stop or yield-to-pedestrian sign controlling their movement) are obligated, let alone likely, to come to a halt to let pedestrians who might want to cross from the pavement or sidewalk parallel to the side street where the motorists and cyclists' movements are controlled by a stop sign?
Note that many intersection in the cities or anywhere else are NOT controlled by traffic lights. Motorists passing through an intersection where the other streets have the stop or yield sign are not prepared or likely to stop because a pedestrian is waiting to cross, at least not in (m)any East Coast city.