Too many pedestrians are on their cell phones or concentrating on their music and never even attempt to stop or look before entering a crosswalk. This often requires a car to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting them while hoping that their car does not get real ended at the same time.
The second major problem that I find is that I do stop to let the pedestrian cross–but the car behind me does not and goes around me. This turns the pedestrian into a target. If a car is stopped without a signal, it usually means a pedestrian.
Thirdly, the tall plants at the corners are lovely, but after dark, they could easily be a person or vice versa
I also have no problem letting a pedestrian cross in the crosswalk and will always yield to them. As for jaywalking – good luck. It is nerve-wracking enough just driving thru town trying to get from one end to the other without hitting anything!. Watching for the transit bus, runners, jaywalkers, cell phone users, double parkers, sun glare and other cars not paying attention…..to name a few distractions
I find in Ridgewood a majority of people do not use a crosswalk they just step out from between parked cars children in tow and hope you stop. In the central business area, there is a complete lack of police enforcement of motor vehicle laws and nothing is ever done about dumb pedestrians stepping out where ever they wish.
Article is pretty much right on the money, only one thing missing, the lack of a visible police presence enforcing the law.
Lets face a very unpopular fact..
Ridgewood avenue the central throughway is too narrow for parking on both sides. Watch the bus turning onto Ridgewood avenue and navigating
up or down Ridgewood avenue amidst the jaywalkers,strollers delivery trucks .There is about one foot separation from the parked cars doors and the traffic squeezing through the Ridgewood road test.People are going to
get hurt..enforcement against jaywalking is one of the most important steps .To do that you need officers on foot or Bike Patrols.happy and safe holidays folks.
I could easily have hit an older gentleman who strolled across S. Broad St. at dusk, far from any crosswalk. He didn’t even look up and no, he wasn’t texting. It happened last year and I’m still upset about it.
This subject comes up about every two months and the resulting comments are always the same. We get a few sensible comments but they are drowned out with these made-up and exaggerated accounts of dodging pedestrians who run out, some putting on make-up, some are texting. I’m not suggesting that some pedestrians aren’t reckless but these stories are simply untrue. They are the same stereotypical stories of teenagers driving while applying make-up or aggressive, latte-sipping moms from the Heights in their big SUVs.
I urge some of you road warriors to actually spend some time trying to use crosswalks during busy times. It’s not a case of waiting for that one car to pass by before crossing. Traffic is heavy, and it comes in multiple directions. One lane might stop for the waiting pedestrian, but the other lane does not. Stopped driver gets frustrated and thinks the pedestrian is being stupid for not crossing, so he shakes his head and drivers on.
It’s not that simple. It’s easy to say just wait, but that often isn’t practical. The only real safe way to solve this would be to have traffic lights at every crossing. The downsides of this, however, would be massive costs and massive traffic congestion while the generally free-flowing traffic is caught up in multiple traffic lights.
I thought those orange flags fixed everything
Let’s face a very unpopular fact.
If you step in front of my car and your to fu@&$ng stupid to acknowledge my presence, guess what? I’m going to run you over. And then I’m going to sue you for negligence. Why? Because your a fuc@&$g moron . Cops on foot and bike patrol? Are you out of your mind? I’m not paying some flatfoot 100 grand a year and padding a pension to ride a bike around town because YOUR STUPID. Stay out of the road, mind your peepers and slow the fu&$ down and we’ll all be fine. Merry Christmas .