| | | neptune said "I am a walker and a driver. As one other post mentioned it is up to both parties to be aware. When I'm crossing a street on foot I check both directions and try to judge the speed of oncoming traffic, I show I'm attempting to cross but don't step out til the vehicle is stopped!! When driving (especially around the univercity)I watch for pedestians and usually drive a tad slower. We don't need flashing lights at every cross walk, just common sense! " |
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This has been the argument from automotive clubs since the 1920s (arguing for equal responsibility of pedestrians and motorists), but it hasn't improved anything since accidents are still happening. The law in Manitoba places more responsibility on the driver. For example, as we saw on Saturday and Sunday, drivers are charged if they hit a pedestrian crossing at a pedestrian crosswalk, as they should be.
Like I said, no one intends to hit anyone. Accidents happens. People can be careless at times. They can be distracted, emotional, not well, excited, or whatever. The moment you look away is the moment you hit someone.
It's been proven time and time again that death and injuries decrease drastically when cities invest in pedestrian friendly infrastructure with pedestrian safety (sometimes called city livability) in mind. And it's actually been proven to be cheaper to build for pedestrians and cyclists than for automobiles for obvious reasons (pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure requires less material and time to build). I'm not necessarily saying that the safest way is more lights. There's many other options that should be explored like more islands at crosswalks and less street space to cross.
It's just something to think about. Obviously automobiles and pedestrians aren't equals on the streets, in terms of spending and safety. When two people walk into one another, no one's really going to get hurt.