Road Sense
I came bloody close to running a couple of blokes down on my way home last night.
These guys had parked a car on busy Bell St, just up from where the freeway exit ramp joins the road. Yes, it was past the time when that section of road ceases to be a clearway, but it still causes disruption to the traffic, so there was a fair bit of chaos as people tried to merge to get around this car. I don't think parking on Bell St is a good idea even when it is legal, but sometimes it is necessary, so fine.
But then these three guys decided they had to return to their car absolutely immediately, traffic be damned. The idiots walked into the middle of the vehicular chaos, out from behind a truck coming the other way. They were all wearing black pants (couldn't tell whether jeans, tracksuit pants or something else - didn't have time to look that closely) and black jumpers. The car I was merging behind swerved to miss the first one, who made it to the driver's door of the car. My view obscured by the truck and the swerving car, trying to keep an eye on the car coming up behind as well, I almost didn't see the other two guys, basically silhouettes in the dark. One stepped back from the right lanes near to the centre line, but couldn't go back far lest he be cleaned up by the traffic coming the other way. If I hadn't spotted him and threaded my way between him and his buddy near the parked car, somebody could have been killed.
It's pretty simple, everyone. Don't step in front of moving vehicles. Don't even step close to in front of moving vehicles. Wait for a break in the traffic, and cross away from disruptions to traffic flow, even when it is your own car causing the disruption. It's not like there aren't regular breaks in the traffic on Bell St. I cross it, safely, several times a week.