(no subject)
At the intersection connecting my block to the rest of the neighborhood there is crosswalk denoted by (a) red bricks in lieu of asphalt (b) broad, solid white lines on either side of the pedestrian path (c) a Yield to Pedestrians sign facing traffic in each direction. Most everyone I see crossing at this intersection though does so at a jog to avoid getting hit by drivers. I refuse to run, myself, but this does lead to the odd moments of confrontation where ignorance rears its head and people begin to mime-behind-the-wheel, expressing their discontent at my choice to cross the street, NOW of all times! when they have a red light up one block they needed to be at like five minutes ago.
I've already reached out to FDOT for additional signage and spoken with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for increased monitoring (and they've actually been awesome about it too, parking a cruiser there no fewer than 10 times in the last two weeks) but of course, people seem to be much more polite when there is a cruiser parked nearby.
I've been curious about how this specific driver-at-crosswalk behaviour comes about (outside of usu. self importance) as well as much broader "why can't these fuckers drive?" questions. The question, specifically, was "Why don't they stop?"
I'm realizing that the most likely answer is that they just don't know what to do.
Srsly.
Checking out Driver's Education resources online, I can't find any that explicitly state what to do at a cross walk. Most are incredibly vague, like the one below, which apparently tests the would-be-operator of a 2,000lb machine what a sign "means" but not what behaviour is/can be expected. (which, is kind of the most important thing, I'd reckon)
So yes. While I would like to congratulate young Timmy for recognizing that this sign, DOES, in fact, indicate that there is a crosswalk ahead, I'd be even more happy if he knew he needs to stop and let folks in the crosswalk get to the other side. Sadly, Timmy and his ilk do not. (here, at least.)
I've checked, to be certain, and Florida State Law fairly clearly says "a driver is obliged to yield the right of way to a pedestrian lawfully crossing in a crosswalk." (Pedestrians must yield to cars outside of crosswalks but can cross pretty much anywhere mid-block unless otherwise marked - something I just kind of did, but nice to know its legal) Now, I reckon I'm just trying to see if maybe the whole problem will just magically resolve itself or if I really have to invest resources into this. I'd much rather surf teh interwebz, frankly, but walkability is a great component of this neighborhood and I hate to see that impacted by this trend I've been noticing by drivers.
I've already reached out to FDOT for additional signage and spoken with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for increased monitoring (and they've actually been awesome about it too, parking a cruiser there no fewer than 10 times in the last two weeks) but of course, people seem to be much more polite when there is a cruiser parked nearby.
I've been curious about how this specific driver-at-crosswalk behaviour comes about (outside of usu. self importance) as well as much broader "why can't these fuckers drive?" questions. The question, specifically, was "Why don't they stop?"
I'm realizing that the most likely answer is that they just don't know what to do.
Srsly.
Checking out Driver's Education resources online, I can't find any that explicitly state what to do at a cross walk. Most are incredibly vague, like the one below, which apparently tests the would-be-operator of a 2,000lb machine what a sign "means" but not what behaviour is/can be expected. (which, is kind of the most important thing, I'd reckon)
So yes. While I would like to congratulate young Timmy for recognizing that this sign, DOES, in fact, indicate that there is a crosswalk ahead, I'd be even more happy if he knew he needs to stop and let folks in the crosswalk get to the other side. Sadly, Timmy and his ilk do not. (here, at least.)
I've checked, to be certain, and Florida State Law fairly clearly says "a driver is obliged to yield the right of way to a pedestrian lawfully crossing in a crosswalk." (Pedestrians must yield to cars outside of crosswalks but can cross pretty much anywhere mid-block unless otherwise marked - something I just kind of did, but nice to know its legal) Now, I reckon I'm just trying to see if maybe the whole problem will just magically resolve itself or if I really have to invest resources into this. I'd much rather surf teh interwebz, frankly, but walkability is a great component of this neighborhood and I hate to see that impacted by this trend I've been noticing by drivers.