Normally I don't have any problems with pedestrians, and they don't get in my way or annoy me in the slightest, even if they happen to be doing strange things from time to time. Pedestrians are sort of a fact of life here in Provo, especially if you are driving anywhere near campus, or anywhere in the neighborhoods south of campus where all of the apartment complexes are.
However, there are a few basic rules to crossing the street that I tend to expect most people will realize:
1. You look both ways. This is pretty self-explanatory, and everyone seems to know about it for the most part. Some folks even go to the effort to look twice before even thinking about stepping out.
2. Use the crosswalk. Sure, there are some times when a crosswalk can't be found and then you have to make do with waiting for the cars to pass, but most of the time, especially around main city streets there is a crosswalk that can be used.
3. Wait for the signal. Come on folks, that just makes sense, right?
4. You are crossing the street! Don't take your jolly time strolling along like you are in the park with your girlfriend watching the birds fly and smelling the dandy flowers along the sidewalk. There are cars weighing thousands of pounds waiting for you to get out of the way.
If you can't tell, the last point is a little heated. The other day a bunch of freshman were crossing the street and had not even made it to the halfway point by the time the signal turned back to red. Here I was sitting in the middle of the intersection, with the light already changed the other direction and these idiots were just moseying along without a care in the world.
Get across the street. You don't have to run or jog, but don't waste any time either. It'll get you killed.
8 years ago
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