I have to defend the OP on this one, and disagree with all of you folks who are throwing the 'just the way it is' attitude: pedestrians can't just fling/march/saunter their way into moving traffic and proclaim their 'right' to be there. That isn't the 'way it is,' nor is it the law in any state in which I have resided.

I cycle in the city all the time, and take extreme caution as I pass thousands of cars/pedestrians/dogs on my way to the quieter roads of the park [motorcycle safety training helps with this, for sure]. In the city, people are usually pretty good about respecting the importance of crosswalks [both drivers and peds]. Bottom line is that people can't walk into traffic from the far side of a truck or bus or whatever and expect the cars/bikes on the other side to be going slow enough to stop for them. This would make NO sense.