walking through intersections

snarkslope

Can someone explain to me why the overwhelming majority of pedestrians in Park Slope are incapable of stopping at red lights when there is car traffic approaching? More often than not, I witness people just sauntering across the street without so much as glancing toward the light. I've never witnessed this phenomenon to such an extreme any where else. Is it general entitlement? Something else?

anastasia beaverhausen

Their babies walk on water, too.

snarkslope

Wow, that was fast. I feared this would devolve into a car-versus-bike flamefest, but you went one step further and turned it into an anti-child rant. Impressive!

mw11215

i don't see so much sauntering across avenues, but do see it on other streets. i think it's contingent on the speed of the cars - they go that much faster on avenues, so ppl take more care when crossing. but cars don't gain that much speed on other streets, so pedestrians think they can beat them.

devolving the discussion: bikes are equally, if not more, guilty of blowing across red lights.

modsquad

snarkslope, We know it's you comin', so we be fuckin' with ya!

resized for the hell of it.

anastasia beaverhausen

I win!

dimples

The blind crossing of the streets is usually caused by the herding effect.

old time brooklyn

Pedestrians walk when the sign says Don't Walk and cars roll thru Stop signs instead of stopping. This is the way it is. I'm surprised there's not more deaths.

scarlett

Dimples wrote: The blind crossing of the streets is usually caused by the herding effect.

Yeah, no. It's not blind crossing so much as apathetic or arrogant crossing. People who are blind are extremely conscious street crossers.

dailyheights

I'm glad someone mentioned this. People casually saunter across red lights on 7th Ave like it's a pedestrian mall. There is a brazen disrespect for wheelestrians.

To be fair, this behavior is just as bad or even worse in Manhattan, especially with regard the pedestrian traffic that runs along the Avenues and across Streets.

Compare this to Tokyo, where a sole pedestrian will patiently wait at a deserted crosswalk at 3 am with no car in sight. Or so I'm told.

carmen

Uhh I don't think he meant blind people crossing, or else it would have been worded "the blind individuals crossing the streets are usually caused..." but instead meant "people blindly crossing the street are usually motivated by..." Last time I checked the word "blind" does not only refer to those who are physically without sight.

scarlett

Der. I find it offensive to use "blind" when you mean not caring or not looking.

voodoonyc

Some of this has to be attributed to cell phones. People in this city do not know how to walk and talk (and text) at the same time. Seriously, if you want to have a phone conversation, step off to the side and do it. If you want to do it in the middle of the street, you should be run over by a mack truck.

ilikemytoes

scarlett wrote: Der. I find it offensive to use "blind" when you mean not caring or not looking.

well, then you must lose your mind when you see signs for "blind driveway".

carmen

blind
  /blaɪnd/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [blahynd] Show IPA adjective, -er, -est, verb, noun, adverb
Use blind in a Sentence
See web results for blind
See images of blind
–adjective
1. unable to see; lacking the sense of sight; sightless: a blind man.
2. unwilling or unable to perceive or understand: They were blind to their children's faults. He was blind to all arguments.
3. not characterized or determined by reason or control: blind tenacity; blind chance.


http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blind

There are about 30 definitions of the word blind, half of which are not related to physical sight. Der.

scarlett

No, that means people driving out can't see.

carmen

But they're not legally blind, they just cannot see past their driveway due to its position on the land/street...

rubyinny

"blind curves ahead"?

scarlett

Oy. But pedestrians aren't "unwilling to perceive" that there are cars coming, nor can they not see the cars, they just choose to cross anyway.

"Blind curves ahead" should be my title instead of wheeee.

carmen

Flexichick wrote: "blind curves ahead"?

i'll blind you with my curves

*airball*

brimbal

I'm just going to turn a blind eye to this thread

raw

Old Time Brooklyn wrote: Pedestrians walk when the sign says Don't Walk and cars roll thru Stop signs instead of stopping. This is the way it is. I'm surprised there's not more deaths.

Roll. I've seen cars FLY through red lights.

Last summer, I saw THREE bikers get hit by cars. Only one of the cars stopped to see if the biker was OK.

I worry about the elderly people crossing the street.

pitu

worry about them? I *pray* - and I don't even believe in your god.

You're the Hasidic Jew who tried to kill me. I'm the girl on the bike. - w4m
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/nyc/1295924472.html

Dear Sir.

We had our encounter on Bedford Avenue this afternoon, just south of Division. I was the petite brunette in a white sundress, riding a red road bike in the rain; you were the Hasidic gentleman...

che

Yesterday on that slightly scary curve at GAP where cars whip around onto Flatbush and the dollar vans always honk, three older kids walked out in front of the fast traffic, and when a car service car screeched to a halt so as not to hit them, and then started moving again -- because his light was green, after all -- they threatened him. Wow.

karl the druid

pitu wrote: worry about them? I *pray* - and I don't even believe in your god.

You're the Hasidic Jew who tried to kill me. I'm the girl on the bike. - w4m
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/nyc/1295924472.html

Dear Sir.

We had our encounter on Bedford Avenue this afternoon, just south of Division. I was the petite brunette in a white sundress, riding a red road bike in the rain; you were the Hasidic gentleman...

you left out the romantic but sallow ending:

"... if you see this pm me, i think you're hot."

anastasia beaverhausen

WAY off topic here but why oh WHY do some of you people wear completely inappropriate clothing while bike riding? As above, "in a white sundress, riding a red road bike IN THE RAIN" - this isn't the fucking south of France, you are not out berry picking. If I'm bike riding, the potential to be in an accident, to fall, to hit a pot hole makes me wanna cover my shit up to avoid road rash.

campy

Is it general entitlement?

I used to think it was entitlement. But I've come to realize it is just ignorance of city living.

ringrunner

Subject: Re: walking through intersections

snarkslope wrote: Can someone explain to me why the overwhelming majority of pedestrians in Park Slope are incapable of stopping at red lights when there is car traffic approaching? More often than not, I witness people just sauntering across the street without so much as glancing toward the light. I've never witnessed this phenomenon to such an extreme any where else. Is it general entitlement? Something else?

Have you ever left Park Slope? This is a New York City Thing.

hitokiri

scarlett wrote: Der. I find it offensive to use "blind" when you mean not caring or not looking.

There we go! Thats what i was waiting for! The obligatory "Im offended at using a word" post!

NOW it's a thread!

jamzer

Beaver - everyone knows that only you can walk on water!

I have a related question. Why is it that some drivers feel the need to accelerate through intersections just before the light changes? Don't they realize that there is another traffic light at the next block that has already turned red? Slow down man.

anastasia beaverhausen

Jamzer wrote: Beaver - everyone knows that only you can walk on water!

You incorrigible bike riding flirt!