Sidewalks Are There For a Reason

I find it absolutely fascinating that people don't seem to understand where pedestrians should walk. Because I'm fairly certain that most people in the USA speak English. Maybe those who augur immigrant doom are correct, but I know for a fact that many people in this country speak English, and therefore should understand the connotations of the word, "sidewalk."

"Side:" the thing to the side of the road. "Walk:" a place where one who is a pedestrian, that is, one who walks, can walk. How hard is it?

I'm hep to the fact that sidewalks aren't always present. Along a back country road, there might, in fact there will, not be a sidewalk. Whether you should be walking along a back country road at all is debatable, but if you are, there's no sidewalk. That's the facts. But if there is a sidewalk, why not walk on it?

I cannot count the number of times I've seen people strolling down the middle of the street where there are not one but two sidewalks present, where cars are frequently seen. And since the law says one must yield to pedestrians, there's nothing a car can do, short of running a person over.

Or how about the people who feel that the ideal place to pause to adjust themselves is the center of a poorly-lit street in the middle of the night. When these people are wearing headphones, in black, and looking at their shoes, it just makes the whole thing way too much fun for drivers. Can one really be blamed for running a stupid person over? Of course one can.

Lastly, pedestrian laws are good. In the middle of town, people should not be scared to cross the street. But if you're crossing the street in front of cars, there are a few things you could do to make the whole thing easier. One: cross more quickly than a crawl. Two: make sure you don't stop in the center of the street to yell at someone. Three: don't leap out into traffic from behind a parked car without checking to see whether or not there are cars coming. Four: if you're waiting to cross and someone lets you cross, don't stand there with your finger in your nose pondering this development.

I don't think any of these things are too much to ask.