Rayxt

Wear a hoodie.
Ipod blasting
Experiencing virtual reality.
Step off the kerb without looking to the left (or right in the UK).
No problems in London - you have rights!

The right to be STUPID.
The right to die!

Cycle past any school you care to before opening time and you can count any number of kids and parents stepping off the kerb without a thought in their head about what's coming.

Why?
Because they hear nothing.
They never thought there could be an electric car. Or a hybrid.
Or some cyclist who will come off worst if they walk under his wheels.

Don't schools teach kids road safety?
Or are people just so stupid they don't think about the environment they're in.

Count how many pedestrian you see in a week step off without looking. Or are halfway into the street before suddenly they realise where they're at, and the next London bus they see might be from under its wheels.

Post the results. And let's see just how stupid pedestrians are in cities around the world.

AEO

thank you, you just discredited the entire human population of earth.

Mr York

You have a responsibility to watch where you are going and avoid road hazards. Pedestrians have the right of way. Just like bicyclists wish car drivers would slow down and be cautious, we bicycle riders have to do the same. We don't have an unfettered right to go fast and straight. We need to watch out for hazards no matter what they. Share the road ;-)

markhr

Ray

As I said in the UK BF section try Oxford street in summer (Kings Road is possibly even worse). However, as far as I'm aware UK road hierarchy goes (wow, just realised how badly my knowledge of the highway code sucks , i.e., this is inaccurate):
Livestock/working steeds (herds of animals, horse riders, mounted police, etc)
Emergency vehicles (not sure - they might just ahead of or even be lumped in with everyone else)
Pedestrians
Cyclists
Motorcyclists
Everyone else


The actual highway code recommendations
https://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAn...code/index.htm

Billy Bones

Mr. York is on track here. Not everyone is as situationally aware as we cyclists (sarcasm intended). Just as in every other context we experience, it is up to each one of us to accommodate those who are less aware. As devilish and hard headed and downright stupid as people can be, what I call "Earth's Adults" are obliged to exercise prudence. Anyway, few of us have a perfect record of safe behavior and most of us have been the beneficiary of other's watchfulness.


All that said, I am truly tested to follow my own advice when I yell “On your left!” and Dim Witted Foot Cattle on the trail ahead leap to their left. They will do that three time out of ten! Sigh.

sonatageek

Well I would think someone crossing at a light or in a cross walk would have the right of way, but stepping off the curb in to the traffic lane just anywhere can't be okay. I had 2 people do that to me last year and I slammed right into them. Sure wasn't my fault -- I was in a lane going with traffic and had gone through a green light that was about 500 feet away.

I would also like to say that bikes up on sidewalks (I work at a college) are a real hazard. Kids riding in and around a group of slow walking people. I was walking and changed direction about 3 weeks ago and a kid on a bike, going too fast and too close, slammed into me. Looking forward to the day that my side stops hurting.

Rayxt

Already we're losing focus here.

This isn't about rights of way. Or who will win court cases.

It's about counting how many pedestrians you see in a week who step of the pavement into the road WITHOUT looking. People who have no regard for THEIR OWN SAFETY.

Remember you could be driving a car - and one of these clowns steps out from between parked cars straight under your wheels. And everybody's life is ruined.

Mario Puzo knew what he was talking about when he said - FOOLS DIE



And here thanks to the Powercrank in Acton is part of the UK CODE for pedestrians

"The Green Cross Code. The advice given below on crossing the road is for all pedestrians. Children should be taught the Code and should not be allowed out alone until they can understand and use it properly. The age when they can do this is different for each child. Many children cannot judge how fast vehicles are going or how far away they are. Children learn by example, so parents and carers should always use the Code in full when out with their children. They are responsible for deciding at what age children can use it safely by themselves.

A. First find a safe place to cross and where there is space to reach the pavement on the other side. Where there is a crossing nearby, use it. It is safer to cross using a subway, a footbridge, an island, a zebra, pelican, toucan or puffin crossing, or where there is a crossing point controlled by a police officer, a school crossing patrol or a traffic warden. Otherwise choose a place where you can see clearly in all directions. Try to avoid crossing between parked cars (see Rule 14), on a blind bend, or close to the brow of a hill. Move to a space where drivers and riders can see you clearly. Do not cross the road diagonally." -also known as Jaywalking.

The UK is paradise for jaywalkers, preferably crossing the road with the back of their head to oncoming traffic.

ghettocruiser

Umm. Zero?


Well, this week anyways.

KnhoJ

At least they're not doing this while driving!

So, it seems this is a contrast between training (and enforcing, training's no good without followup) every pedestrian to a standard level of competence to provide a fraction of a minute's convenience for the driver/rider, or convince the driver/rider to take responsibility for the conditions he or she presents around others who might not follow one's wishful thinking to the letter.

Why is this such an uphill battle?

dbg

At U-of-Ill there are some pretty extensive bike paths carved variously out of sidewalk and street. Bikers fly and unfamiliar pedestrians routinely get hit. The students all know to look, but visitors and parents are prime bike fodder.

Also, personal experience, first time in UK I found myself looking the wrong way and nearly stepping in front of vehicles. Easy mistake to make (once).

CastIron

On my way home the other night, I had a fellow do just that. On a bicycle. In the crosswalk in front of me against the light at a five way intersection. I was doing about 30 descending to make the light (I did on green). I was sorely tempted to beat the fellow, except he crashed (mildly)as we both took evasive maneuvers. Evidently natural selection is unable to keep up with reproduction rates.

chephy

Wow, peds are idiots.

Dirty windshield.
Cell phone pressed to ear.
Coffee cup in one hand.
Rolling the behemoth SUV off the driveway into the street without looking left (or right in the UK).
God, cagers are stupid.

Wear dark clothes.
No lights.
Ipod blasting.
Ride through the intersection even though the light is red.
God, cyclists are dumb!

Yep. All you dumbasses! I'm the only smart one on this planet. Dumbasses.

Artkansas 

Not here. There wouldn't be a one. No one walks to school. They are all driving SUVs!

Paul L.

And those electric cars are so easy to hear too if your not wearing headphones!

pinkrobe

In a week, I see at least 8 people wander into traffic without looking. Now, if I include those that look first, then wander out regardless of what is coming their way, that number triples or quadruples. Overwhelmingly, the random strollers are male and aged 20-35, with homelessness, cigarettes and alcohol being contributing factors. As a lifelong jaywalker, I don't always cross at corners/intersections [as is the law in these parts]. At the same time, I don't expect anyone to stop for me when I do so. If they do, bonus.

sfcrossrider

Sounds like SF. Peds JUMP out in front of bikes, cars, and motorcycles AND then yell at them. Stuuuuuuuuuupid.

oboeguy

I counted stupid peds, I'd have buffer overflow in no time.

unkchunk

You got me. It's rather difficult to discern any difference.

kjmillig

Maybe it has something to do with socioeconomic demographics. Around SW Houston I see this mentality quite a bit, especially with teens around the middle and high schools. Many of them will walk out intentionally ignoring vehicles and laugh at you or flip you off if you honk. And it's almost never at an intersection or crosswalk.

Industrial

What's a pedestrian? I think I'd be hard pressed to get into the double digits counting pedestrians on my commute on any given day. People don't walk more than a block here for whatever reason. Myself included now that I think about it. Even when I leave my house when the local middle school and high school lets out, it's mostly a parade of buses and SUVs. I see the same 6-7 kids walking home everytime and that's it. They are even half respectful to cars and bikes!

mike

Pedestrians have right of way over bicyclists. Pedestrians can listen to ipods when they walk. They can wear hoodies.

Pedestrians are king (and queen).

nitropowered

Yeah thats true but how stupid do you have to be to not even look both ways and cross the street. Yes you have the right of way but a man v car, the car will always win. I really hate it when people look at you, wait, then try to cross the street when they know you are coming. Well i guess you can argue that they didn't really see you even though they made eye contact(learned this when I took a motorcycle license test), but its no excuse when you do it to a car

dynodonn 

The town I live in has 2 3 lane arterials that runs by local high school a few blocks away, it was a guarantee that a student was going to step off the curb without breaking stride. One intersection was ladened with skid marks from vehicles making sudden stops, this pattern slowed down considerably when the city started issuing citations to the students if they did not give vehicles enough time to slow to a stop, besides the citations given to motorists for speeding that section of road way.

ascend

Maybe you should yell something less ambiguous. As a frequent pedestrian and not-so frequent cyclist, any number of times I've had someone yell something like that from behind then whoosh past before I've had a chance to work out what they meant; the only reason there wasn't a collision was that I hadn't had time to react yet and so kept right on course.

I know you as a cyclist, and me as someone who lurks around on a cycling forum, both know what you mean (and sooner or later I won't have to think when I hear someone yell it either), but think about your target audience here: chances are, unless they're jogging or power-walking on a shared path, they probably haven't been passed by a cyclist more than once or twice in their life. Having someone yell something behind you unexpectedly is *very* startling, which seriously impedes your ability to process what they've actually yelled. Chances are by the time their brain caught up they'd missed the words "on your" and just heard "left", and just jumped where they thought you were telling them to.

To be honest, though, I don't know what I would suggest yelling out that would be less ambiguous. When I'm riding I usually just slow to a pace where I'm comfortable dodging if they do something unexpected, then shoot through whatever gap is available.

BarracksSi

I always wonder about that myself. I can't even say, "Don't they teach that to kids anymore?" because adults do it, too.

I even look both ways when I'm about to cross a one-way street. If someone's coming the wrong way, they really don't know what they're doing, so they're even more dangerous.