CorporateProvocateur
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fplf3 wrote
Reply to comment by wolandjr in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
Thank you. This is the validation I need.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fp3ak wrote
Reply to comment by RaTerrier in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
Fair enough. Those drivers are in the wrong. Still seems risky to not look so you can cross and risk getting hit by a bad driver. It's literally playing chicken with a car.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fon6h wrote
Reply to comment by Agirlisarya01 in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
I haven't noticed this on big streets where the signals are clear. This is a stop sign / crosswalk thing where things can be more ambiguous. I don't look there either, I trust cars not to run the light.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fnnuq wrote
Reply to comment by Quiet-Pirate-4586 in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
Agree. I can both recognize whose responsibility it is and still think it's crazy to not double check with a half second look considering what's at stake.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fnb2r wrote
Reply to comment by stormcloudbros in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
I do. I can both be a careful driver and still think it's a bad idea to not look.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fn5bd wrote
Reply to comment by stormcloudbros in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
They don't have to do anything. But why bet your life and health on the fact that every driver is being as careful as me? This seems like a bad bet.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fmzxe wrote
Reply to comment by CorporateProvocateur in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
How the hell is this so downvoted? It's literally a link showing that doing this is in a lot of driving courses and driving best practice guides. Are people burying it because it doesn't fit their perspective? It's literally evidence that what I'm suggesting is at least widely considered a good idea.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fmlc4 wrote
Reply to comment by stormcloudbros in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
It makes me anxious that people are just walking out into streets not looking for cars and just expecting all cars to always perfectly follow the rules.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fmdls wrote
Reply to comment by golden_ratio324B21 in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
I understand this perspective. I mean I guess I'm just assuming most drivers don't want to hit people and are less likely to run over a person looking right at them.
I'm not saying wait for permission. I do this because I feel like it makes things super clear. Just seems not worth the risk to be not to check.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fl26z wrote
Reply to comment by AngelsGoHome in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
If it's even a close call I stop. I guess I just prefer the certainty of a head nod or whatever.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fkqz6 wrote
Reply to comment by Answer_Feisty in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
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Drivers should just stop.
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Trains have lights, bars and, warning alarms that a train is coming so this is a poor metaphor. If a train was being driven by a person I could see and I had to walk in front of it. I'd make damn sure I made eye contact with that person to make sure they saw me before walking in front of it.
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The way you've laid out the above relies on perfect adherence and perfect performance. Isn't half a second worth your life or limb to make sure the driver sees you? He should see you, he should stop, but if he doesn't something terrible will happen.
The logic you've laid out above says "I'm so busy and important that I'm not willing to sacrifice half a second and instead will rely on all drivers to be perfectly adherent and never make a mistake despite their best intentions." This just seems like a bad bet to me and a very poor trade off.
I admit it would be hard to convince me the above is a sound way of thinking. I'm a careful driver and am extra conscientious about pedestrians but I know this city has lots of drivers who aren't, so it seems like a poor risk to take.
I have never not lived in a city.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fixfl wrote
Reply to comment by shhhshaunna in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
What's the comparison here? What's different about Connecticut?
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fip2s wrote
Reply to comment by KerPop42 in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
> By not making eye contact, I force the car driver to actually stop for me
This is what I find uncomfortable. I don't know that you've seen me. This is like trying to communicate something with no confirmation that the message had been received. A message in a bottle. Aren't you worried I might NOT have seen you. Seems much riskier to your safety to me. It seems a really big risk for a very small benefit.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fi12d wrote
Reply to comment by Mindless-Employment in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
This is the exact vibe I'm describing in this post. The EXACT vibe. Like they have a magical force field and don't need to even risk assess the car.
These are the people I'm talking about. I should have been more clear. Most pedestrians we're normal. What I'm describing here is that I've noticed the incidence of the "force field" / "sovereign Pedestrians" increasing.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fhd47 wrote
Reply to comment by travestigator in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
Yeah, it's not a "problem" it just feels weird to me when they march out without looking.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fh7fp wrote
Reply to comment by Evening_Chemist_2367 in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
I'm guilty of this but I always glace both ways make eye contact with any stopped cars and then shove my face back in my phone 😋
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fh3bo wrote
Reply to comment by swampoodler in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
Peds always have the right of way. I want to be clear that's not at all my point here.
I am often a ped myself. I like the eye contact when I'm a ped too.
But I also do what you're describing and dynamically change my walk speed based on judgement of the speed of oncoming cars. What I'm noticing is people not do that and just walk into the intersection as if no car was present.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fgrsj wrote
Reply to comment by veloharris in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
I'm not saying this at all. I do this specifically because pedestrians matter.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fgjyo wrote
Reply to comment by veloharris in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
You're now policing how I'm polite to pedestrians? "If you must" you can't be real.
Were you watching your butler clean your monacle while you typed this?
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fg86t wrote
Reply to comment by campbeer in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
That's a reasonable take. I'm from a city, I have lived in this one for about 20 years. I've been noticing it a lot more recently so perhaps the person mentioning COVID had a point.
I still think the millisecond of eye contact communicates a lot and is worth it.
I'm a pedestrian often as well. I always try to make the eye contact.
Where I grew up people always crossed against the light. Maybe that has something to do with my expectations.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2ff8zj wrote
Reply to comment by foreverurgirl in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
This is one of those moments when your jaw just drops. I'm in shock the type of people I'm describing are right here, in this thread.
Condescending? I care about making people feel safe and being safe. The other part of that person's argument is a reasonable take but condescending? I just can't believe that's a real persons take.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fevnk wrote
Reply to comment by Quiet-Pirate-4586 in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
Who said smile? They don't HAVE TO it isn't a toll I'm extracting 🤣. I just think it's safer if both parties make eye contact so they both see that they see each other. It's tought in driver's Ed that way.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2f9yxy wrote
Reply to comment by EastoftheCap in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
Apparently it's condescending to care about not wanting to run them over and trying to communicate means I want them to BEG to cross the street.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2f9nen wrote
Reply to comment by sakizashi in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
I think part of what makes me uneasy about it is that when they don't look at me I have this uncertainty that they see me as well. They probably do. It just feels dangerous even though I'm not the one physically in danger.
CorporateProvocateur OP t1_j2fqtdp wrote
Reply to comment by veloharris in Your Take on DC Pedestrians? Are they Aloof? by CorporateProvocateur
Cool with me. At least I know they see me.