Pedestrians in my city....Future Darwin candidates...

[bicentennial_baby]

Sniffa will vouch for this...

Quincy, MA has the most brain-dead pedestrians I have *ever* seen in my life, per capita. Seriously, every single day, they just waltz into traffic, without a care for lights or crosswalks. I just almost sent two to their maker on a trip to the store...

And, we live above a very busy street with a light/crosswalk, and it's amazing how so many people, all ages and races and genders, will just run (or usually walk very slowly) into 4 lanes of relatively fast traffic, including city buses. :o

Ok, :rant:

:)

[billyskank]

1. Quality rant.

:hi:

[bicentennial_baby]

2. Well thank you!

:hi:

[skygazer]

3. Especially when you consider the drivers in that area

I've driven all over the country and those in the Boston area are among the most maniacal, IMO. Not bad drivers at all - but determined to get where they're going at all costs.

[bicentennial_baby]

4. Very true...

I still drive mostly in my traditional "Western MA" way, but, yeah, I've had to adapt to these lunatics, to a degree :D

[RevolutionaryActs]

5. Dude, I feared for my life walking on the sidewalks in Boston.

Let alone going anywhere near the traffic. :scared:



:P

[billyskank]

6. Hey Rev

:hi:

[RevolutionaryActs]

10. Hi billy!!

:bounce:

[billyskank]

13. I see you busted out

:D

[RevolutionaryActs]

15. I got a day pass!

:7

[bicentennial_baby]

7. wuss

:eyes:

:P

[RevolutionaryActs]

9. So what?

:P

[bicentennial_baby]

12. I can't wait till you come to visit...

Maybe we'll take you to the 'hood. :D

[RevolutionaryActs]

16. But, but...

what if there are bombs?!?!?? :o

[bicentennial_baby]

19. Silly, those are just advertisements

:rofl:

[RevolutionaryActs]

20. But I heard they're REAL!

Oh no, you're gonna go "boom" :o

[bicentennial_baby]

21. No worries baby

We're out in the 'burbs :D

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

8. Here's my Darwin award story...

A few years ago, I'm driving down Main Street Rockaway with my best friend. Some drunk dude (this is mid-afternoon) fucking almost falls off the sidewalk and straight into the side of my car. My friend screams. I start ranting about the motherfucking drunk ass dude.

Flash forward to about six months ago...
I'm driving down Main Street Rockaway and the same fucking drunk dude almost falls into the side of my Jeep. It was around the same time of day, too. I immediately got on my cell phone and called up my friend:

"Hey remember that drunk dude that almost fell into my van?"
"Yeah."
"That same motherfucker just fell into my car again on Main Street."
"Fucking drunks man. Crazy shit."

[bicentennial_baby]

11. Ha!

Classic! :rofl:

Here we have the OCD guy who pushes a cart across the street every day in front of our house. He's got this thing about avoiding lines, or something, so he goes around the crosswalk, but only after he runs full speed at a car with his cart, charging it, and then veering away... :crazy:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

17. Haha...OCD guy is awesome.

:rofl:

[bicentennial_baby]

18. We're gonna tape him sometime, for posterity...

It's really wild to watch...Sniffa gets all excited when we see him coming... :rofl:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

27. D00d! Put it on youtube!

:rofl:

[bicentennial_baby]

30. I'm conflicted though....

Is that *technically* mocking the mentally ill? Hmmmmm....

:rofl:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

33. Possibly.

At least email the video to me.

Oh and check your PM, bee-yatch!

[bicentennial_baby]

34. Just responded...

but yes, if we tape him, you're first on the list :D

[Oeditpus Rex]

14. He was probably just hitting on you

:shrug:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

24. Neither of us were interested.

Well, my friend is straight, but she prefers guys that don't fall off sidewalks into moving vehicles.

[Oeditpus Rex]

35. Picky, picky, picky

:eyes:

[Gormy Cuss]

22. Running is stoopid.

Drivers think you'll be out of the way by the time they get there. Besides, you could slip and fall that way. Walking slowly through traffic is better. ;-)

Of course, using the friggin' crosswalks is always recommended but that's no guarantee that you're much safer in most cities thanks to right-on-red and generally rude behavior by both parties. I like the drivers who sit there fuming because pedestrians are crossing against the light, blocking the car's passage and when the light changes the drivers gun it, coming close to taking out the pedestrians who actually waited for the light. Harvard Square was a place where it happened all the time even when the cops were standing right in front of the Coop.

[sniffa]

23. my favorite is when the saunter diagonaLLy

the crosswaLk Light works, and it's there for a reason.

i'm stiLL shocked we haven't witnessed road meat... yet.

[bicentennial_baby]

25. well, there's always hope, right?

:D

I mean, I'm surprised nobody got flattened last summer, on all of those crazy drunken weekend nights! :o

but yes, diagonal sauntering is awesome...as is walking down the hill 250 ft, and then running through traffic, instead of crossing on the crosswalk... :eyes:

:*

[redqueen]

26. Maybe they're ready to go?

:shrug:

Nobody's dumb enough to try that stunt down here.

Well, after a concert or other event... when the traffic's already tied up, sure... other than that, well... they know how most people here drive!

:hi:

[bicentennial_baby]

28. But it's Boston!

We supposedly have the worst drivers evah! :o

:hi:

[redqueen]

29. Ohhhhhh I dunno about that!

Especially days like today... been snowing since yesterday.

"Ice? Slow down? But why?"

:rofl:

[MissMillie]

31. I'm going to agree w/ you, but I'm going to add a comment

I used to live in Quincy, so yes, I do have some experience w/ this.

Truth be told--the problems between drivers and pedestrians stem from violations by BOTH parties.

I don't know how many times I've stood waiting for a "WALK" signal, only to get one and to be practically run down by a car making a "right on red". (At a red, a driver is required to come to a full stop before proceding to make the "right on red" and he is required to yeild to the pedestrian in the crosswalk.)

Yes, many pedestrians break the rules, but drivers do it too.

I'm often a driver, and I'm often a pedestrian. And both sides behave badly.

[bicentennial_baby]

32. Oh, I know....

I drive all nice and normal, but I hear you :)