Obnoxious pedestrians

[LadyBarbossa]

I know we've had several threads here about how a lot of drivers don't yield to pedestrians anymore, but I have a rant of the opposite sort. Yes, I do realize you have the right of way and I will always yield, but do you REALLY have to fucking walk directly in front of my vehicle down an entire row of the parking lot instead of scootching over a wee bit for the two seconds it would take me to pass you? Almost every day this week going into work, I'll signal to turn into the usual aisle that I park on, but some people walking to the car with their shopping will raise their eyebrows at me, dart out into the aisle, shoot a smug 'fuck you' look at me over their shoulder, and proceed to swing their asses back and forth at the slowest possible pace, forcing me to drive 2mph.

Doubtless they're probably the same people who meander up to me in the Pharmacy and take two minutes to finish their phone conversation before telling me their damn name so I can get them their scripts while there's a horde of other customers waiting behind them . . .

[Rageaholic]

Or how about those who just walk out in the middle of a busy street to cross? No stop signs, traffic lights, or intersections, just walk out right in the middle. It's not always annoying, but I have witnessed some idiots just walking out, holding up traffic. They count on your brakes to survive.

Idiots.

[Eisa]

^People do that at my university. It's like, you know? Yeah, it's a school campus, so people are probably going to be going slower and watching out more, anyway. But FFS WHY would you just dart out into traffic without even LOOKING to see if anyone's coming?!

[Lace Neil Singer]

Someone did that recently, near where I work. They were hit by a car coming the other way; they didn't survive.

It's moronic. Some of these people ought to learn the fact that staying alive trumps right of way every time. It's a fact that if a car hits your stupid self, the car is not going to be worse off!

[aurelemsrealm]

This happens frequently around campus. Many pedestrians cross at places other than the crosswalks. I don't consider that a big deal as long as people pay attention to oncoming traffic. I have my own little shortcuts, and don't always want to take the extra steps to use the crosswalks. The worst offenders are the ones who are plugged into their cellphones or mp3 players. They don't pay attention because they are so absorbed in their own little clouds of oblivion. They just march across without breaking stride or looking either direction for oncoming traffic. I also frequently use my walking time to review lectures I recorded on my voice recorder, make phone calls, or listen to my mp3 player, but I also pause to look both ways before crossing the street because I don't want to be run over or cause an accident.

Another thing I don't understand is something which happens in my neighborhood on a daily basis. We have sidewalks on both sides of the street. Yet, there are many who insist on walking down the middle of the road instead of using the sidewalks. I could understand walking along the road if no sidewalks were available. However, since sidewalks are available on both sides of the street, why in the hell do these people have to walk down the middle of the damned road? Get the hell out of the way, and get on the sidewalk! It's there for a reason!

[blas87]

I have the same problem everywhere, but especially where I live.

There is a bus stop on the corner. I have had to give myself a special Friday/Saturday schedule so that I do NOT come home on the hour or the half hour in case the bus has dropped the idiots off. There are sidewalks on BOTH sides of the street, and these morons refuse to use them. They get off the bus, hop off the curb, and walk in the middle of the road until they get to their building. At first, I thought it was only the "special" people who live here that were doing it, then I saw that just about everyone who rides the bus does it. Then I noticed people's guests leaving in the morning/afternoon walking out to their car, not using the sidewalk, just walking in the road until they get to their car.

I absolutely fucking hate the pedestrian obstacle course that my street is.

I do not comprehend why, if there is a sidewalk, why you INSIST on walking in the street. Of course, the ones who are able minded (as much as it bothers me, I try to stay calm around the mentally handicapped ones and figure they do it because they see others doing it or they simply don't know any better) always have that smug look about them as you have to either slow way down or stop, but if you do like me and violently swerve around them (at times I do if I am in absolutely no mood to deal with another person walking in the middle of the road) they will flip you off or snarl or cattbutt face you. Exc-uh-uuuuuuuze me? No. Get out of the road.

Lace is more than right. What's more important, being right or being alive? Right of way.....vs.....life.....I guess it's the principle for most people.

[Eisa]

I sometimes walk in the street in residential neighborhoods because the sidewalk is too close to potential strange dogs, and I'm scared of them. But I always walk on the side where the car would be coming towards me, and I always move so I'm either on the sidewalk or right next to it, so they have no worry about hitting me. Definitely not just walking down the center line without a care.

[blas87]

Fear of dogs is no excuse for anyone who lives in the buildings where I live....no pets allowed.

[Eisa]

^Hehe. I've been bitten by a dog. When I was 11 or 12, this dog just ran out and ended up biting me...its owners just sat on the porch and did nothing. And I've been walking home other times when a dog practically jumped on me and tried to grab my purse, so I kind of bopped it a little with it and ran off. People here just seem to let their dogs run wild, and it's not much to walk in the street, but it helps when they're just in a yard sometimes.

[protege]

Another thing I don't understand is something which happens in my neighborhood on a daily basis. We have sidewalks on both sides of the street. Yet, there are many who insist on walking down the middle of the road instead of using the sidewalks.

Seems to be a common thing, especially in the more "interesting" areas of Pittsburgh. Drive through Hazelwood sometime, and quite a few people refuse to use the damn sidewalks. Then they bitch and moan about being "nearly hit" by cars. Seriously, get out of the street, you crackheads!

Then there are the kids in my neighborhood. Some will actually *refuse* to get out of the street if cars are coming. They're more interested in playing games than becoming road pizza. At least I can have some fun with them. When I still had the Mazda, I'd pop it into neutral. As the car was slowly rolling forward, I'd blip the throttle...causing them to scatter

[lordlundar]

It's because people like that think the whole "pedestrian right of way" thing gives them some sort of invincible force field that's going to force someone to stop on a dime.

Personally, I would like if every time someone did that some phantom vehicle would smack into them. Not enough to kill them mind you, but certainly hard enough to make them realize that obeying the law of the road would be a much more preferable option.

[Sage Blackthorn]

About a year ago, I was driving home from work. The speed limit in downtown is 35 miles per hour, I was going my usual 30 mph in the slow lane. Three blocks from work, there is a corner with a crosswalk and a "Pedestrian Crossing" sign. As I come up to the corner, I see a man standing with his back to the street, talking to a lady. They are both well dressed, obviously professionals. I get within 20 feet of them and they turn, look right at me, and friggin' step off the sidewalk! I slam on the brakes, and the asshole has the gall to make the "What are you? Blind?" face at me and point at the Ped-Crossing sign. At which point I made a "What are you? Suicidal? Stepping out into the middle of traffic instead of waiting for there to be a break that's safe?" face back at him. I was VERY tempted to roll the window down and ask him that very question, but decided against it.

Personall, I think the whole "Pedestrian always has the right-of-way" thing is seriously stupid since it's encouraged MULTIPLE generations of people to think that just because the have the right-of-way that they can step out into traffic, J-walk, cross the street from between parked cars (without a white cane in site), cross against signals, or do other things that normally lead to serious injury and death. I mean come on people, the average size human being can stop significantly faster than a 1/4- or 1/2-ton vehicle traveling at normal city driving speeds. Have schools stopped teaching basic physics about mass an accelleration/decelleration like when I was in high school? I dunno about anyone else, but I NEVER just walk out into the street without looking. Even if the crosswalk signal says "Walk", I don't trust drivers to be watching, I look out for my own safety no matter what the law says about having the right-of-way.

And after that incident, when I'm driving, I don't trust pedestrians NOT to just suicidally jump out in front of me. Sometimes I think they're all just trying to collect the insurance money :P

[Racket_Man]

try doing food delivery and see how many times in ONE single shift pedestrians can do stupid things.

I get walkers, cellphone talkers, dog walkers, skateboarders, rollerbladers, rollerskaters, middle of the block crossers, runners/joggers (who sometimes do NOT want to use the sidewalk), couples making out while walking, bicyclists, people on small "Vespa" motorized scooters, kids on "Razor" type scooter/boards, motorized skateboards, dogs, cats, stupid people who think it is funny to try and "fake" run out in front of my moving vehicle, kids/teenagers/adults playing in the street, children who have no fear of anything, etc.

combine several of these together and you get one of my typical shifts.

[Greenday]

I mean come on people, the average size human being can stop significantly faster than a 1/4- or 1/2-ton vehicle traveling at normal city driving speeds.

Not to nitpick, but there aren't really any cars 1/2 a ton or less on the road. Smart car is more than 3/4 of a ton.

But yea, just because the law says pedestrians have the right of way doesn't mean people should ignore basic physics. 2000+ lbs moving at 35 mph will do a lot more damage to a 175 lbs person walking on the street than vice versa.

[Skelly]

Or how about those who just walk out in the middle of a busy street to cross? No stop signs, traffic lights, or intersections, just walk out right in the middle. It's not always annoying, but I have witnessed some idiots just walking out, holding up traffic. They count on your brakes to survive.

Idiots.

In my opinion, it ought to be perfectly legal and actually encouraged to run these fuckers down.