Pedestrian Appeal
The Washington Post had an article yesterday about the new Silver Spring Transit Center, including a nice rendering I hadn’t seen before. And in light of the idiot pedestrians we have in our community, I found this comment from Bruce Johnston interesting:
“There are a number of traffic improvements which will help reduce the number of pedestrian conflicts with traffic and minimize congestion.”
Pedestrian conflicts. Is that what they’re calling it now? When I think of pedestrian conflicts, I think of me getting out of my car and punching someone in the face that decided to walk out in front of me. And that might even be after I hit them with the pimp sled. Silver Spring, Singular regularly rants about this, and I have to say he’s absolutely right. What is it going to take to tackle this pervasive problem? I have yet to see a cop give a jaywalking ticket. Three or four times a week I have to make split-second decision as to whether or not I’m going to teach someone a lesson by hitting the gas instead of the brake.
Would a public service campaign actually do any good? Louisiana has implemented one (that also addresses other issues) with the theme of “Wreck less, Louisiana.” How creative. New York’s infamous “Cars hurt. Stay Alert.” campaign didn’t look like it helped much last time I was up there, but I sure love the curb painting concept. And I could think of a few things to stencil in. But I still wonder how many people would pay attention. Any ideas?
10 Comments so far
You assume they can read.
LMAO. Perhaps that was a little ambitious of me.
SS could fix pedestrian J-walking problems by fixing their idiot light cycles. I can’t count the number of intersections where they COULD give someone a walk sign, but yet don’t. Prime example’s are left turn arrows, where they “don’t walk” both sides of the street instead of only the side with traffic turning into it. This happens at almost every intersection with a left turn arrow in downtown. I know for sure it happens at Wayne&colesville as well as spring&georgia, and I know I’ve found myself thinking “why the heck am I standing still right now” on uncountable other occassions. If you know the timing of an intersection you can walk safely twice as often as the sign says. Yea, I know.. still shouldn’t walk if it says don’t walk, and even people who now the timing screw it up.. that’s why in a heavily pedestrian community they shouldn’t discourage pedestrians with whacky light timing. If pedestrians didnt stand at intersections watching traffic lights that are in a pattern that SHOULD let them walk for 50% of their wait, I guarantee there’s be 60%+ less jay walking. It’s a downtown community and should be geared towards the pedestrians, not the traffic. If no perpendicular traffic has a green light or green arrow the sign should say walk, period, no exceptions – not the case in downtown… and THAT is what causes the jay walking – be it conciously or subconsiously.
The REAL problem is idiots driving straight across Georgia Avenue on Bonifant when the signs clearly say that you have to either turn right or turn left.
The problems should get much easier when they build the Purple Line down the middle of Thayer Avenue.
You’ll all love this story:
One day, I was at a red-light next to a police car. He and I both witnessed jaywalkers weaving through us cars stopped at the red light (instead of crossing at a crosswalk. Which is the REAL problem here! People that just cross where-ever they damn well please, regardless of the fact that there’s a CROSSWALK 5-10 steps away and that there’s CARS coming at them). I rolled down my window and asked the police officer why people like that didn’t get tickets for jaywalking. He said “We have a lot bigger fish to fry than jaywalkers…” No wonder why the pedestrians walked right through the cars as if they owned the place, even in front of a cop.
The only thing that’s going to stop this jaywalking is tall metal fences in the middle of the intersection like they have by the Wheaton metro station near the Wheaton Mall. Honking at them doesn’t even seem to get a fire under their tushy.
This Oldie has had enough. All of these years here, I’m finished putting up with ignorant adults. I’ll be moving from here at the end of the month. Best wishes to all of you on Thayer Avenue!
Older Germans will stare a hole in you if you jaywalk. The reasoning is that young children seeing this will cross against the light, and get run over. So, as people pass me while I wait for the light, I just shout,”baby killer” in a loud audible voice. The drivers here have no patience, pedestrians have no patience, if it wasn’t for premature ejaculation, these impatient SOB’s would never spawn.
I live on the residential end of Thayer Avenue. I’m most perplexed by drivers that constatnly fly down Thayer with no regard for the crosswalk that’s clealy designated for children to walk across because there is a school at the top of the hill. If a Ride On bus is picking up or letting off passengers in the morning or afternoon, idiots who are late for work or whatever the case may be, go around the bus and almost hit the children that are crossing the street in the designated cross walk. I alerted the police department which has actually come out and investigated the situation. They are considering putting up a red light camera. Even though people have every right to go around a bus, they don’t have the right to ignore children crossing in a designated crosswalk.
Deb, I hear ya about the cars flying down the street. I don’t get how their cars can withstand flying over the speed bumps the way they do. Regarding the crosswalk: have you asked the school for a crossing guard for the times when students are walking to/from school? I am not sure how far away from the school they can be, but I am sure the school can at least give you futher information.
Overall, I think we have a “one bad apple spoils the bunch”(or many bad apples as the case may be) situation on our hands. Drivers get jaded from stopping for pedestrians who cross wherever they want, and therefore disrespect all pedestrians. Even those who are clearly in a crosswalk. Referring back to what “the b” said above, I agree, no one has any patience in this area. Maybe it’s because we all work too hard? Don’t take enough vacations? Experience too much pressure from work, family, etc? Who knows. However, I am sure that the driver/pedestrian problem is merely a symptom that something else is gravely wrong. So, what’s the bigger problem and how do we fix it?
You want some cheap “entertainment”? Just stand at the corner of Georgia and Colesville and watch the lunacy unfold. Daytime, night time, Saturday’s too!
The problem is that drivers think that they can do whatever gets them to their destination the fastest, and that the rules of the road don’t apply to them; then, as soon as they’re walking somewhere, suddenly the jaywalking rules don’t apply, and they should be allowed to cross wherever is most convenient for them. I guarantee that the guy gunning his engine at the pedestrians in the crosswalk is the same guy who saunters in and out of the stopped cars at the red light.
It’s not a question of pedestrians vs drivers, it’s a matter of the misguided sense of entitlement that permeates our culture. I blame their parents. You’re NOT a special and unique individual– you’re a party to the social contract, and you really ought to start living up to your end of the bargain, buddy!
OK, mini-rant over.
That being said, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had drivers behind me honk at me for yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk as I turn right. I’ve even had people whip around me to my left, then make the right turn in front of me as I wait for the pedestrians to finish crossing.
And if you’re going to jaywalk in front of my car, have the decency to at least pretend like you’re hurrying because you know you’re doing something wrong– rather than staring smugly at me as you strut across the street, safe in the knowledge that I’m not going to knowingly hit a pedestrian, however obnoxious and just plain stupid they are.
One final note: have you ever noticed that in the Gazette’s police blotter, a good 75% of the violent crimes committed in the downtown area most weeks involve road rage incidents– frequently at Wayne and Georgia, Wayne and Fenton, or Georgia and Colesville?