hey, i know that intersection!

[osaraba]

(via thedreamerworld)

Video of traffic at the intersection of 28th & Park shows the "bad habits" of pedestrians, cyclists & motorists. I don't think I agree that this necessarily calls for a revision of street traffic rules in NYC (pedestrians are pretty darn safe in metropolitan NYC), but this video is super fun to watch nonetheless!

I love the point (toward the end) when the videographer labels the "Agressive Yield" of the car toward the pedestrians. Yeah, have to say I really really hate it when drivers do that (though I will admit to having done that myself a handful of times).

This makes me want to re-read Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (And What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt.

Comments

[shiroi-ten.livejournal.com]

Some of these I thought were a bit exaggerated...I mean, people don't need THAT much space to walk. Traffic in Taiwan or Vietnam is way worse...but its hard to compare. Traffic safety is just one big mess because the best way to stop accidents is to place more restrictions so people go slower. :/

That last one though, what a great shot of an "aggressive yield"

[osaraba]

Yeah, that's why I don't think we really need any revision of traffic rules (I mean, based on this video in particular). Someone points out in the comments that it's more a reflection of "entering personal space" or something than really a reflection of "risk" -- some of those look a bit scary but I know I've done similar/worse (even as a pedestrian) and not thought it was a particularly high risk situation.

Things you can't see from this angle: eye contact.

I assume this guy just lives in NYC and that's why he chose it, but (as someone also points out in comments), NYC is pretty darn safe for pedestrians for a metropolitan area. Streets are smaller and even though drivers are pretty aggressive, we generally drive at lower speeds because it's crowded and there are a lot of traffic lights and because the streets are (relatively) narrow. I've jaywalked in San Francisco, but I'm much more wary of cars there than here in NYC.

[shiroi-ten.livejournal.com]

The risk sometimes is a bit dangerous...I remember reading a book where they made fun of accidents by making them all bicycle accidents. But walking around or biking is dangerous, and I trust in pedestrians to have street smarts and cyclists to miss me by a hair and things like that. So true about the eye contact...I wonder if those people showed some road rage?

Getting stuck in traffic is safer than, well, walking across an open road at night. OH TRAFFIC. I still have some crazy fear or driving because I am so bad at focusing. I have to be glad I biked in the suburbs or I may have had some problems.

[cathybites.livejournal.com]

The bikes on sidewalks drive me NUTS. I kicked a bike once that was on the sidewalk hard enough the guy crashed to the ground. He got all pissy at me but another guy - much bigger than him - told him he was an asshole for being on the sidewalk, and the cyclist just left. Still on the sidewalk. >:\

[osaraba]

Oh man, LAME. =( I've been lucky enough to avoid any run-ins with cyclists, but yeah they make me real nervous -- I'm more worried about hitting one while driving than being hit by one while walking, though I'm sure that would be even more unpleasant.

[fredericks.livejournal.com]

I've seen people I'd categorize as fairly calm lose their shit behind the wheel. Is it something about getting a drivers license and driving in NYC that makes people lose their collective gourds?? I just don't understand. And as a pedestrian who's been involved in an accident with a motor vehicle I find myself routinely scared shitless by the aggressive yields and drivers that seem to give two shits about folks getting around. Just...what the eff, people?

[osaraba]

It's weird how people you wouldn't expect to have serious road rage sometimes! Are you a driver too?

I've also been involved in a super close-call accident as a pedestrian, myself, but I'm relieved to say that's the ONLY accident I've ever been in (as a driver AND as a pedestrian). Whew!

....I must also admit that I'm an aggressive pedestrian. That's... probably not the smartest thing to do, but that's where the eye contact thing comes in. (And for the record, the accident I was in was not due to my aggressive pedestrianism -- the guy turning just didn't see me.)

[fredericks.livejournal.com]

I still don't have my license. It's just me being extremely lazy and not going out for the whole road test/driving lesson thing. I'm spoiled from having lived in cities with great public transportation systems.

The best thing I saw in regards to being an aggressive pedestrian happened in Chelsea a couple weeks back. The car had the right of way and crossed the avenue towards pedestrians walking across. The car rolled up on one young man who refused to hustle, pizza in hand. The driver honked his horn and stopped quite close to the man ... who then stopped, shot the driver a cool glance, took a big bite out of his pizza, leisurely chewed and swallowed, *then* made his way to the curb. I damn near fell out. Because, really, unless the driver is going to run a pedestrian over he/she needs to chill the eff out and wait for folks to make their way across.