On most days at work I take a walk to one of several restaurants nearby for lunch. It's in a very suburban area with arterial roads, business parks, and strip malls. A lot of roads don't even have sidewalks, or the sidewalk ends and you have to keep crossing the street.

Even when I have the crossing signal, I have to be ultra-defensive to avoid a right hook from all the idiots that don't pay attention to the crosswalk. Or when I'm crossing the other direction, I have to keep looking behind me, and sometimes stopping in the crosswalk because the people making their unprotected left turns aren't paying attention.

SUV's completely block the sidewalk coming out of parking lots, leaving me to either walk a few feet into the street (45mph traffic) or walk behind the car, putting me in the blindspot of the car entering the lot.

Recently I was crossing at the crosswalk (on the left side), with the signal, and there was somebody making a right turn. I saw him slow down for me, hesitate, and then decide he could shoot the gap and make his turn before I got there. He couldn't. I had to dive, slow-motion like in the movies to avoid getting hit. I remember the split second decision I made: "should I brace for impact and roll over the hood, or should I dive out of the way?"

It seems pedestrians and cyclists share a lot of the same dangers. I can see exactly why sidewalk biking is so dangerous. It's barely even safe to walk on some of them. You can't take the lane as a pedestrian, and you are always funneled through the crosswalk where at least one lane of traffic can hook you. A lot of people complain about how it's dangerous to ride a bike, but often times I would much rather be on one.

I have to agree with you whole-heartedly.
It is not a safe world. And rude and disrespectful drivers abound~!

I live in a semi-urban town (pop 40,000) and agree entirely. While I haven't had a close call this year on my bike (about 2000 miles), I've had 3 close calls just walking my dog. This town isn't really heavy on traffic, but damn are people inattentive.
I just do this.

I know this won't make you feel better, but you're not alone. It's a sign of urban overcrowding/aggression and it's everywhere in the world and, IMHO, getting worse. The last time I was in London I absolutely hated walking around. Cars bound down alley ways there and speed out into sidewalks without regard for pedestrians. I don't feel quite so leery about walking around in Paris, but then the police presence there is more visible. (It doesn't mean there aren't traffic issues in Paris, there are like in every other city in the world. It's just that I don't feel nearly as threatened by motor vehicles while walking there.)

Years ago on Nickleodeon there was a faux commercial describing how scientists had invented live hood ornaments for cars and all of the safety benefits there of. In the second to the last scene of the commercial they showed scientists duck taping a chihuahua to the hood of 40's era Packard. The last scene was a shot of the Packard running down a road in to a brick wall with the sound track of a barking then screaming chihuahua. Since that time becoming a "live hood ornament" has been my son's and my euphemism for being hit by a car. I'm glad you didn't become one.

I've seen arguments on helmets versus no helmets and sidewalks versus no sidewalks, ultimately I've decided that it is dangerous doing everything, including doing nothing. Rubber side down.

Yeah I tend to agree... which is why at times I have expressed what some call an anti-motorist attitude... I am not anti-motorist, but I am darn sick and tired of the way that motorists treat anyone that is not in a car, and even at times the aggressive attitude that is all too often displayed on the roadways.

I walk my dog in the early mornings over to a local park and wilderness area... and crossing the street to that area is the most dangerous thing I do. Twice in the last two days I have seen motorists running red lights as if either they had no idea or just didn't care.

I too ensure that my way is safe, in spite of traffic controls. And I am supposed to "Share the Road" with these fools???

Walk signals mean nothing, and right turn on red just makes things worse...

southern california seemed sane (2007), cars(observe for peds at intersections) and peds followed specific rules (no jay walking) tickets awarded to offenders.

nova scotia had law to ackowledge peds, even jay walking, you put your foot out into street, cars stopped (1985)

here in s nj though, walker beware everywhere!

I would say the majority of the drivers in the area where I work and live completely ignore crosswalks.

Cycling is a big thing here, and it is not all unusual to see that quite of few of the cars that are zipping through the crosswalks, while pedestrians are waiting to cross, have bike racks attached to their cars.

And yes, I realize that a cyclist is not a pedestrian....does not have the rightaway just because they are riding in a crosswalk...unless, they dismount their bike and walk it across. But, as a cyclist I would like to think that we are more aware and more considerate to people using crosswalks than other drivers.

Am I holding cyclists to a higher standard? YES!!

And while I have no way to justify or quantify this statement, because there is no give away like a bike rack, I suspect a lot of the drivers blithely zipping through the crosswalks are recreational walkers, runners, in-line skaters, etc.

And they probably get irritated when cars don't stop for them when they are trying to enjoy their chosen sport, but when THEY get behind the wheel of their car, heaven help you if you slow them down for 2 seconds.

I would think that cyclists, runners, walkers, etc....all the folks that want cars to give them a break on the road, would have a heightened awareness and they more than any others, would be considerate towards people using crosswalks But, I don't see that happening around here for the most part.

I remember reading about how walking is something like 10-15 times as dangerous on average as driving, at least on a per trip basis, and that cycling is much safer than walking, at least when no sidewalk is present.

The thing that's supposed to minimize the chance of right hooks when walking is the fact that the pedestrian is supposed to be capable of stopping instantly, unlike the cyclist. Where I live, signs remind motorists to YiELD to pedestrians on green when making turns. Right-on-red is only supposed to be performed after stopping, and making sure everyone else has cleared before proceeding (of course enforcement may be lax... I wonder what would happen if the PD went to some of the busier intersections with right-on-red and ticketed those who don't bother stopping). Right-on-red is designed to be a fuel-saving device, since people who could be on their way would be idling at the red otherwise. It's been adopted in most parts of the world where there are not huge crowds.

If you're dealing with a place with heavy pedestrian traffic, then right-on-red can be prohibited at intersections for that reason. Maybe a pedestrian-only phase can even be worked into the traffic signal. Of course pedestrian traffic has to be heavy enough to warrant such treatment.

I think it's the Wal-Mart brand of water...my sister used to say, when she worked there, "Don't drink the water at Wal-Mart, they put stupid in it."