Politics

Crossing the Street is Now a Right

by Andrew Tuttle
05/08/21
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On a past trip to Seattle, driving downtown, I was the recipient of a rather sarcastic exchange by a man trying to cross the street.

I remember seeing him on the sidewalk, and he was not in the crosswalk as I approached, since he appeared to be waiting for a companion. Unfortunately for me, I was unable to predict what his intentions were so I continued my slow pace down the street and crossed in front of him as he stepped into the crosswalk.

Apparently I should have slammed on my breaks to give him the right-of-way as he communicated in his drama filled reaction. God-forbid Mr. Cross Walker wait for me to pass. Sadly, this has become the norm.

Portland and now Seattle it seems have been hijacked by the pedestrian right-of-way which is more or less another government entitlement. Seems farfetched, but if you’ve spent any amount of time in either of these two somewhat backward cities it doesn’t take long for drivers to recognize they are the demons of the road.

These safety laws presumably protect pedestrians from getting hit while crossing the street, which - on paper - sound like a good idea, but like lots of laws passed solely on emotion, pedestrian safety laws cause more harm than good. Eventually, laws become a right and just like everything that becomes a right these days the person claiming the right becomes entitled. The American culture of entitlement remains at an all-time high and one needs to look no further than government’s approach to crosswalks to see just how far down the slippery entitlement slope we’ve gone.

Explain to me why/how a person driving a 3,500 pound piece of metal at 25, 35, 45 miles per hour should be on the lookout for a 150 pound human on two legs who can react and stop faster than even the most advanced driver can? I have no problem yielding to pedestrians once they are IN the crosswalk, that’s a no brainer. But why should a driver in heavy traffic or even light traffic have to jack up for someone waiting to cross or even who appears to be wanting to cross the street?

As a pedestrian, I often find myself trying to look like I am not going to enter a crosswalk when I approach one because drivers in the Portland-metro area slam on their breaks for anyone looking like they might be ready to cross the road.  I wonder how many fender benders have been caused by this “safety” law? As a driver, I have  watched countless cross walkers step into the road without even looking both ways because they know they are entitled and drivers have to look out for them…or else. Mr. Cross Walker in Seattle may be on the tragic end of that “or else” someday if he continues to believe he has a “right” to enter a crosswalk at any time and expect a fast moving one ton metal box to stop in time.

I had a conversation with the police chief of a Portland metro area suburban town about this and he admitted the existance of a problem with pedestrians stepping into crosswalks expecting drivers to stop, and felt the need for additional education.

Compare these laws and expectations to how it works in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica may not be as advanced as the United States however this country is light years ahead when it comes to driver/pedestrian safety. I find the pedestrian life easier in that country than in the United States where laws created by supposedly compassionate but really-want-to-get-reelected politicians get passed - like pedestrian rights laws. In Costa Rica, pedestrian’s look out for cars - not the other way around - and that’s how it should be.

Driving in Costa Rica is actually an adventure. Cars dart in and out of traffic and I saw more close call car-on-car accidents there in one-day then I have ever seen in a year in the states.  However, I never witnessed an accident and I didn’t see or hear about any pedestrian safety laws or pedestrian injuries or fatalities. As a pedestrian I found it easier to take on the responsibility (there’s that evil word the politicians in the United States want to eliminate from daily living) of keeping myself safe by looking out for drivers rather than relying on them to look out for me.

Dogs in Costa Rica, which roam the streets freely, understand traffic better than human pedestrians in the United States do. I kid you not.

I can only assume the silly pedestrian rights laws exist in many other cities, if not the entire country. I don’t know what the statistics are as far as how safe they actually keep people but every now and then a pedestrian hit by a car makes the news and I always wonder if that person stepped into traffic expecting cars to stop. Pedestrian safety should be a concern for every one including the pedestrian. It makes perfect sense for someone who wants to cross the street to wait for a break in traffic to cross and once in the street cars of course should yield. All I see today are hesitant and confused drivers with their foot at the ready on the brake pedal waiting for that person on the sidewalk to jump out in front of them.

Some time ago, I was driving behind a car that was entering an on-ramp to a freeway. The light was green for the car but a pedestrian was also approaching the crosswalk the car had just entered. The driver of that car was the “victim” of a middle finger by the pedestrian because the driver did not jack up to allow the pedestrian, who wasn’t even in the crosswalk, to continue without having to stop and wait for a break in traffic.

One only needs to look at pedestrian safety laws to see how healthy a country really is.