The Most Unbelievably Annoying Thing for a Pedestrian
A notebook entry published on April 21, 2003
While I’m walking to or from the train station, I use crosswalks. Approximately 3-4 times per commute, the following happens. I step out on the crosswalk. The approaching car on the far side lane that is going really damn fast, slows down and kindly motions to me that it’s OK to cross. I start making my way to the other side of the street — BUT. There’s an evil car going even faster, behind the good car, that is severely annoyed that good car is stopping for no apparent reason. There’s plenty of room to the right of good car (this is always just a two-lane road), so evil car speeds up and goes around good car — to the right. See fig. 1 below:
Now one of two things can happen here. Either I get hit, or I have to stop in the middle of street and wait for evil car to speed past me while I gesture appropriately. I’m stuck. This annoys good car, because even though they were nice enough to let me cross, they have to sit and wait for evil car to pass before I can get to the other side a la Frogger.
Now one of two things can happen here. Either I get hit, or I have to stop in the middle of street and wait for evil car to speed past me while I gesture appropriately. I’m stuck. This annoys good car, because even though they were nice enough to let me cross, they have to sit and wait for evil car to pass before I can get to the other side a la Frogger.
This is the single most annoying thing that happens to me throughout the day. And it’s guaranteed to happen at least twice. Carry on…
Enrique → www.25oz.com
Had that happen to me once, seen it happen a couple times. All in Boston, of course. Usually the ‘evil’ car is a cab.
Yrjänä Rankka
Hummm. Commenting to an oldie post like this might be lame, but nevertheless…
Dunno about your neck of the woods but in many countries around Europe passing a car stopped in front of a crosswalk without stopping is “gross endangerment of traffic” meaning the cops can have your driving licence there and then. The court will be quite unlikely to hand it back to you without requiring additional courses and a new driving test plus a fat fine, of course.
When something like this happens to me I tend to think having the guy/gal’s driver’s license and a .38 bullet through his kneecap or a pound of flesh from location of my choice would be more appropriate.
I’ve been driving in and around Boston and people often warn me that the Police there are quite zealous about the right-of-way of pedestrians in most jurisdictions.
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