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Crosswalks

Started by agentsteel53, June 26, 2009, 06:25:40 PM

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AZDude

I don't really understand what you guys are talking about.  All the crosswalks here (with the exception of some school zones ) have traffic lights.  If not there is a stop sign there anyway.  And ofcorse if there is someone in the street, jaywalking or not, you must yeild as always.  Are you saying there are marked crosswalks in the middle of the road with no stop signs or traffic lights?  And if someone is waiting there you must yeild?


Terry Shea

Quote from: AZDude on June 27, 2009, 09:13:34 PM
I don't really understand what you guys are talking about.  All the crosswalks here (with the exception of some school zones ) have traffic lights.  If not there is a stop sign there anyway.  And ofcorse if there is someone in the street, jaywalking or not, you must yeild as always.  Are you saying there are marked crosswalks in the middle of the road with no stop signs or traffic lights?  And if someone is waiting there you must yeild?
Yes.  They're common in many downtown areas, usually in the middle of a long city block.  The ones around here don't have stop signs per se but have signage alerting drivers to the crosswalk and informing the drivers to stop for pedestrians waiting to cross.

donutbandit

QuoteGood thinking!  Cross the street illegally where the road isn't marked and no one is prepared to stop rather than cross the street legally in a marked area where drivers should be prepared to stop.

And many times aren't.

No, I'm smart enough to know how to cross the street the way my parents taught me. You wait until nothing is coming, then you cross. Just like cars waiting to pull out from a sidestreet wait until nothing is coming before they pull out. Is this rocket science or something?

How about we pass a law that if motorists on a thoroughfare see a car pull up on a side street that they all have to come to a halt to let it out? It's the same damned thing. No difference at all.

florida

Hmm.....maybe if pedestrians walked faster in the crosswalks, most of us would be a bit happier.  :)
So many roads...so little time.

Chris

Quote from: AZDude on June 27, 2009, 09:13:34 PM
Are you saying there are marked crosswalks in the middle of the road with no stop signs or traffic lights?  And if someone is waiting there you must yeild?

That's how it works in Europe.

Credibility is what counts. If there is a crosswalk with people often passing, motorists will probably stop most of the times. If there are many of them which are hardly used, motorists tend not to stop if someone wants to cross. It becomes more complicated when there are crosswalks at roundabouts. You not only have to yield to traffic on the roundabout, but also for pedestrians (if a marked crosswalk is painted).

They must have this sign:

Terry Shea

#30
Quote from: donutbandit on June 28, 2009, 01:08:38 AM
QuoteGood thinking!  Cross the street illegally where the road isn't marked and no one is prepared to stop rather than cross the street legally in a marked area where drivers should be prepared to stop.

And many times aren't.

No, I'm smart enough to know how to cross the street the way my parents taught me. You wait until nothing is coming, then you cross. Just like cars waiting to pull out from a sidestreet wait until nothing is coming before they pull out. Is this rocket science or something?

How about we pass a law that if motorists on a thoroughfare see a car pull up on a side street that they all have to come to a halt to let it out? It's the same damned thing. No difference at all.
Just a couple of problems here.  On a busy city street people may be waiting all day to cross if traffic doesn't stop.  Maybe you are able-bodied and can cross wherever you like, but not everyone can.  These crosswalks are designed with the elderly and the handicapped in mind.  Let's add children and those who are just plain slow afoot into the mix.  You want them to have to wait until they think traffic is clear and then have to "race" traffic across a busy street?

A car waiting to pull out is a different situation since a car can pull out and accelerate much faster than a human can.  That being stated it can sometimes take a long time to pull out onto a busy street which is why some considerate people (probably nonexistent in California  :-D ) will stop and wave you on in front of them in such a situation.

So why the selfish, inconsiderate attitude towards others?

Sykotyk

Quote from: deanej on June 27, 2009, 02:41:16 PM
Anyone who thinks that cars shouldn't have to stop for pedestrians waiting hasn't seen the entrance of Brighton High School on Winton Road.  It's nearly impossible to cross the entrance of the parking lot at the start and end of the day.  There is no traffic light for the entrance of a school where about half of the students are driven to school (either by themselves or their parents) on a major county road that should have four lanes but only has two (due to local opposition).  Most of the students/parents and sometimes even teachers just blaze on through (even though there is a stop line and marked crosswalk).  Most people go around via the back of the parking lot just to avoid it.  Very few use the crosswalk, and those that do must risk getting hit to avoid a 20 minute wait for the lot to clear.  Additionally, there is no way to get to the other side of the road; the nearest traffic light to the south (where most people need to go at this time) is five minutes away (walking).

Few questions then:

Why no crossing guard?

Why no stop sign?

Why no police presence?

Why is this setup still acceptable if it is so chaotic and dangerous?

So, either it's blown out of proportion, or the school, town, parents, students, teachers, etc completely lacking urge to do anything about it.

Sykotyk

AZDude

Wow, I never knew of such a thing.  It seems really dangerous to have a crosswalk like that.  IMO, it's an accident waiting to happen.  Plus there needs to be a traffic signal (that is only activated with a push of a button from a ped) to stop traffic so they can cross safely.  

vdeane

Quote from: Sykotyk on June 28, 2009, 01:00:47 PM

Few questions then:

Why no crossing guard?
There are, at the intersections with signals further north.  People heading north of the school have no problem, only south.

QuoteWhy no stop sign?
In New York, a stop line has the same force of law as a stop sign, but many people ignore them (incidentally, the marked crosswalk is new, but the stop line was always there with an unmarked crosswalk).

QuoteWhy no police presence?
One of the nearby side streets has a restricted left turn during certain hours and the police do love to use the area to get tickets.  Hedge rows would make it difficult to enforce the lot (and are partly responsible for drivers blocking the crosswalk to begin with), but I have never, ever seen police in NY enforcing traffic laws in/around parking lots.  I think NY considers parking lots outside of traffic law.

QuoteWhy is this setup still acceptable if it is so chaotic and dangerous?

So, either it's blown out of proportion, or the school, town, parents, students, teachers, etc completely lacking urge to do anything about it.

Sykotyk

Actually, the students moving to/from the south are all concentrated in a certain age group (mostly the graduating class +/- a year or two), so it has only been an issue recently.  Most are very observant and only cross when traffic in the lot is stopped/moving slowly and when there is a gap on the Winton Road traffic (in that case).  It's only an issue from 7:20-7:40 AM and 2:30-2:50 PM, so in "we desperately need more money New York" it would be a low priority (the town can't even be bothered to pick up leaf piles in the fall on time or to fix the potholes in my neighborhood).  The situation is compounded by the fact that the high school and middle school are right next to each other, so there is a ped-only traffic light between the two (north of the high school), but unless you live in the subdivision by the street near it (or go to the middle school, which is between this light and Elmwood Ave) there is no convienent way to cross Winton Rd.

Here's the site on bing maps: http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=r5mdjh8j2d93&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=9413578&encType=1
The street near the ped-only signal is Greenwich Ln.  Most people leave the building at the southwest corner.  The trees do more to restrict visibility than is shown in the birds-eye view, as well as a fragment of a hedge row that once went from the parking lot entrance to the bus loop (barely visible; a lot of this row was taken out for snowplow access).
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Bickendan

Quote from: donutbandit on June 27, 2009, 03:08:42 AM
In California, just the act of a pedestrian standing by a crosswalk means that all traffic must come to a halt, even though the pedestrian has not even entered the crosswalk?

School busses flash yellow lights before red. Red lights are preceeded by yellow.

In California, a pedestrian walking up to a crosswalk to cross flashes an immediate red to which traffic must stop. No yellow, no warning. They can step in front of traffic, get hit, and win the lawsuit. Tell me what other state has this law. I want to know.
Oregon does. And really, it shouldn't be a law; it should be common sense. Pedestrians have the right-of-way, but they're not going to win against a 1.5 ton brick of metal and plastic. Hence why the law exists, because drivers seem to focus on everything but what they need to be paying attention to as a driver.

Several times, while waiting to cross US 26 in SE Portland, I have to actually hold out my hand in a 'Stop' gesture just to get traffic to notice that I'm intending to cross, at a crosswalk near a high school, no less. Other times, drivers notice and stop, and yes, I've seen inattentive drivers nearly rear end the courteous drivers.

donutbandit

#35
QuotePedestrians have the right-of-way, but they're not going to win against a 1.5 ton brick of metal and plastic. Hence why the law exists, because drivers seem to focus on everything but what they need to be paying attention to as a driver.

Yes, I'm paying attention to 4 lanes of traffic, not complicated by sidestreets or by peds waiting to cross.

I'm reminded of an incident many years ago. I'm trying to cross a 4 lane street into a gas station. I finally get a break and cross, and I'm accosted by a bicycle rider I did not see.

He threatens me, and my reply is "why don't you put on something that people might see? Like orange socks or a flag pole?"

Idiot reasoning. I'm looking at 4 lanes of traffic, and I'm supposed to see him.

The same reasoning that I'm supposed to see a ped who walks up to a crosswalk, and pulls out the red on me on a 4 lane street.

I'm supposed to be paying attention to idiot peds who walk up and request admission when I''m paying attention to 4 lanes of traffic that demands my attention.

Stupid, anal reasoning.


Scott5114

I did most of my pedestrianing around Springfield, MO back in 07-08. I would generally simply wait along the sidewalk for traffic to clear before attempting to cross. Occasionally traffic would stop to let me out on John Q Hammons Parkway, which I always interpreted as a nice but strictly optional gesture; I would always wave "thanks" to the driver and hurry across so as to minimize their delay. If the traffic is so thick that you can't cross the street without forcing traffic to stop, you should really consider finding some way of crossing at a light or something.

I think there are two cultures conflicting in this thread. In eastern cities the culture is more amenable to peds, and out west you have more of a car culture. It follows from the way cities are designed (eastern cities being more compact and western cities being more spread out and car-oriented).
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

Bickendan

Quote from: donutbandit on June 29, 2009, 01:38:17 AM
QuotePedestrians have the right-of-way, but they're not going to win against a 1.5 ton brick of metal and plastic. Hence why the law exists, because drivers seem to focus on everything but what they need to be paying attention to as a driver.

Yes, I'm paying attention to 4 lanes of traffic, not complicated by sidestreets or by peds waiting to cross.

I'm reminded of an incident many years ago. I'm trying to cross a 4 lane street into a gas station. I finally get a break and cross, and I'm accosted by a bicycle rider I did not see.

He threatens me, and my reply is "why don't you put on something that people might see? Like orange socks or a flag pole?"

Idiot reasoning. I'm looking at 4 lanes of traffic, and I'm supposed to see him.

The same reasoning that I'm supposed to see a ped who walks up to a crosswalk, and pulls out the red on me on a 4 lane street.

I'm supposed to be paying attention to idiot peds who walk up and request admission when I''m paying attention to 4 lanes of traffic that demands my attention.

Stupid, anal reasoning.


As a driver, the opposing lanes of traffic are of less concern than the ones I'm in. Ergo, I don't necessarily worry about four lanes of traffic, but two. That frees up my attention to see if there are pedestrians on my right that want to cross, and it doesn't take much to note that opposing traffic has stopped for a pedestrian.

agentsteel53

Quote from: Terry Shea on June 28, 2009, 09:41:12 AMJust a couple of problems here.  On a busy city street people may be waiting all day to cross if traffic doesn't stop.  Maybe you are able-bodied and can cross wherever you like, but not everyone can.  These crosswalks are designed with the elderly and the handicapped in mind.  Let's add children and those who are just plain slow afoot into the mix.  You want them to have to wait until they think traffic is clear and then have to "race" traffic across a busy street?

A car waiting to pull out is a different situation since a car can pull out and accelerate much faster than a human can.  That being stated it can sometimes take a long time to pull out onto a busy street which is why some considerate people (probably nonexistent in California  :-D ) will stop and wave you on in front of them in such a situation.

So why the selfish, inconsiderate attitude towards others?

are you advocating socialism? ;)  I have the choice to be courteous and stop for a pedestrian, but when it is codified into law, and I am forced to be courteous (at the risk of disrupting traffic patterns, and the integrity of my rear bumper) then I call shenanigans!
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

Bickendan

#39
Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 29, 2009, 01:36:05 PM

are you advocating socialism? ;)  I have the choice to be courteous and stop for a pedestrian, but when it is codified into law, and I am forced to be courteous (at the risk of disrupting traffic patterns, and the integrity of my rear bumper) then I call shenanigans!
Mmm, I'd rather be slowed down by traffic stopping to let someone cross than by drivers who drive too slow and slow everyone behind them down.
And, though it's no small comfort, if you get rear ended, it's their fault and bear all responsibility for rear ending you.

Terry Shea

Quote from: donutbandit on June 29, 2009, 01:38:17 AM
QuotePedestrians have the right-of-way, but they're not going to win against a 1.5 ton brick of metal and plastic. Hence why the law exists, because drivers seem to focus on everything but what they need to be paying attention to as a driver.

Yes, I'm paying attention to 4 lanes of traffic, not complicated by sidestreets or by peds waiting to cross.

I'm reminded of an incident many years ago. I'm trying to cross a 4 lane street into a gas station. I finally get a break and cross, and I'm accosted by a bicycle rider I did not see.

He threatens me, and my reply is "why don't you put on something that people might see? Like orange socks or a flag pole?"

Idiot reasoning. I'm looking at 4 lanes of traffic, and I'm supposed to see him.

The same reasoning that I'm supposed to see a ped who walks up to a crosswalk, and pulls out the red on me on a 4 lane street.

I'm supposed to be paying attention to idiot peds who walk up and request admission when I''m paying attention to 4 lanes of traffic that demands my attention.

Stupid, anal reasoning.


I alluded to this earlier, but how exactly did you ever get a drivers license in the first place and/or how have you been able to maintain your drivers license with such reportedly (by you none the less) poor driving skills and such a terrible attitude and lack of concern towards other people you are supposed to be sharing the road with?  Watching traffic and being alert for pedestrians, especially at well marked crosswalks, should not be a difficult task at all.  If that's too much to handle then perhaps you shouldn't be driving.

Terry Shea

Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 29, 2009, 01:36:05 PM
Quote from: Terry Shea on June 28, 2009, 09:41:12 AMJust a couple of problems here.  On a busy city street people may be waiting all day to cross if traffic doesn't stop.  Maybe you are able-bodied and can cross wherever you like, but not everyone can.  These crosswalks are designed with the elderly and the handicapped in mind.  Let's add children and those who are just plain slow afoot into the mix.  You want them to have to wait until they think traffic is clear and then have to "race" traffic across a busy street?

A car waiting to pull out is a different situation since a car can pull out and accelerate much faster than a human can.  That being stated it can sometimes take a long time to pull out onto a busy street which is why some considerate people (probably nonexistent in California  :-D ) will stop and wave you on in front of them in such a situation.

So why the selfish, inconsiderate attitude towards others?

are you advocating socialism? ;)  I have the choice to be courteous and stop for a pedestrian, but when it is codified into law, and I am forced to be courteous (at the risk of disrupting traffic patterns, and the integrity of my rear bumper) then I call shenanigans!
Why would the person behind you not stop?  Do they ram your rear end at red lights and stop signs in California too?  Or should stopping for red lights and stop signs be optional and just a "courtesy" to other drivers?

Remind me to never drive or cross the street in California.  Too many selfish/inconsiderate people who think they're above the law and don't care about anyone but themselves.  :sombrero:

Terry Shea

Quote from: Bickendan on June 29, 2009, 03:56:21 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 29, 2009, 01:36:05 PM

are you advocating socialism? ;)  I have the choice to be courteous and stop for a pedestrian, but when it is codified into law, and I am forced to be courteous (at the risk of disrupting traffic patterns, and the integrity of my rear bumper) then I call shenanigans!
Mmm, I'd rather be slowed down by traffic stopping to let someone cross than by drivers who drive too slow and slow everyone behind them down.
And, though it's no small comfort, if you get rear ended, it's their fault and bear all responsibility for rear ending you.
I think these guys have been playing too much Grand Theft Auto and think they're supposed to drive the same way in real life.
:-D

agentsteel53

Stop signs are placed, for visibility, both eight feet in the air and away from parked cars.  Furthermore, they are unambiguous in their intent.

I will stop for pedestrians if it is sensible to do so, but I'm not going to slam on the brakes because someone made a move that looked like they possibly might be wanting to intend to start to plan to potentially think about crossing the street!  
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

agentsteel53

Quote from: Terry Shea on June 29, 2009, 09:15:28 PM
Watching traffic and being alert for pedestrians, especially at well marked crosswalks, should not be a difficult task at all.

Pedestrians should also watch out for me.  If I am physically incapable of stopping in time, then they should not step into the crosswalk.  If I can come to a reasonable stop, I will. 

If the only way I can stop is to react with Usain Bolt reflexes, slam on the brakes, and just barely skid to a stop halfway into the crosswalk, so that they can watch from six feet to the side as the car behind me plows into my rear end... nah.

Let them stay on the curb for another four seconds and watch for me, as opposed to me risking an accident for their convenience.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

agentsteel53

Quote from: Bickendan on June 29, 2009, 03:56:21 PM
And, though it's no small comfort, if you get rear ended, it's their fault and bear all responsibility for rear ending you.

the "you must never, ever, ever, under pain of citation, rear end anyone, ever" law is equally as stupid as the "you must never, ever, ever, under pain of citation, drive through a pedestrian crossing when there are any pedestrians hinting at the potential desire to cross" law that we've been bickering over for the last three days! 

Both are examples of codification over common sense.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

agentsteel53

oh, and ...
Quote from: Terry Shea on June 29, 2009, 09:22:53 PMshould stopping for red lights and stop signs be optional and just a "courtesy" to other drivers?

ask your average bicyclist!
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

Bickendan

Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 29, 2009, 09:32:51 PM
Quote from: Terry Shea on June 29, 2009, 09:15:28 PM
Watching traffic and being alert for pedestrians, especially at well marked crosswalks, should not be a difficult task at all.

Pedestrians should also watch out for me.  If I am physically incapable of stopping in time, then they should not step into the crosswalk.  If I can come to a reasonable stop, I will. 
This, actually, is the thesis.

Scott5114

Quote from: Terry Shea on June 29, 2009, 09:15:28 PM
I alluded to this earlier, but how exactly did you ever get a drivers license in the first place and/or how have you been able to maintain your drivers license with such reportedly (by you none the less) poor driving skills and such a terrible attitude and lack of concern towards other people you are supposed to be sharing the road with?  Watching traffic and being alert for pedestrians, especially at well marked crosswalks, should not be a difficult task at all.  If that's too much to handle then perhaps you shouldn't be driving.

Please do feel free to disagree with the opinions of other posters here, but avoid making attacks upon them such as this. Thank you.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

Terry Shea

Quote from: Scott5114 on June 30, 2009, 03:32:05 AM
Quote from: Terry Shea on June 29, 2009, 09:15:28 PM
I alluded to this earlier, but how exactly did you ever get a drivers license in the first place and/or how have you been able to maintain your drivers license with such reportedly (by you none the less) poor driving skills and such a terrible attitude and lack of concern towards other people you are supposed to be sharing the road with?  Watching traffic and being alert for pedestrians, especially at well marked crosswalks, should not be a difficult task at all.  If that's too much to handle then perhaps you shouldn't be driving.

Please do feel free to disagree with the opinions of other posters here, but avoid making attacks upon them such as this. Thank you.
That wasn't an attack.  Please reread his posts.  He's the one stating that he has trouble stopping in time for pedestrians, seeing pedestrians and refers to pedestrians as "idiots" and such.  I think I showed remarkable restraint in my response and it was simply a suggestion, not an attack by any means.  On the other hand, referring to pedestrians as "idiots" may well be an attack.



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