haha
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I walk everywhere, and so do several others on the board. Pedestrain safety is important. Probably the biggest risk for many is exercise walking along the shoulder of a country road and getting hit by an impaired driver, or at dusk, or by a driver who is blinded by afternoon or morning sun. This latter is a big factor up here, with low sun angles during much of the year.
My walking is urban, and here I read a study that says by far the biggest threat to pedestrians lawfully crossing a city street is drivers turning left from a two-way street. I have started to pay attention to this, and I think it is very likely true. The driver is concentrating on oncoming traffic, and he may not see you when he starts his turn. If he then has to stop, he could get broadsided. Or he may never see you. Even experienced bus drivers have killed or severely injured pedestrians with left turns. The City of Portland had a recent case where a turning bus hit 5 young women I believe during the early AM, killing 2 outright. They are redesigning routes to help blunt this problem.
The other big one I see is F-head drivers rolling through a light planning a right turn, looking back to their L to check traffic, and almost hitting me as I try to get their attention as I try to cross the street coming from the direction they plan to turn, and are too stupid to check.
SWR etc is important, but it won't do us any good if we are dead.
Ha
My walking is urban, and here I read a study that says by far the biggest threat to pedestrians lawfully crossing a city street is drivers turning left from a two-way street. I have started to pay attention to this, and I think it is very likely true. The driver is concentrating on oncoming traffic, and he may not see you when he starts his turn. If he then has to stop, he could get broadsided. Or he may never see you. Even experienced bus drivers have killed or severely injured pedestrians with left turns. The City of Portland had a recent case where a turning bus hit 5 young women I believe during the early AM, killing 2 outright. They are redesigning routes to help blunt this problem.
The other big one I see is F-head drivers rolling through a light planning a right turn, looking back to their L to check traffic, and almost hitting me as I try to get their attention as I try to cross the street coming from the direction they plan to turn, and are too stupid to check.
SWR etc is important, but it won't do us any good if we are dead.
Ha