I spent a year living in Richmond on Westminster Highway. For cheap fun we'd walk up to the intersection at Number 3 Road and watch the driving. We were living there when there was a huge dump of snow, about 2 feet in a 24 hour period. We stook on the sidewalk and watched the drivers race down Westminster Highway like it was dry and clear. The watch them slam the brakes on and slide through red lights.
I've walked my dogs all over Cloverdale for years. We often walk down the main street and as such have to cross the street. Among other streets, I cross the Cloverdale Bypass at 58th Avenue and 57th Avenue and walk across the 4 way stops at 58th and 176th and 57th and 176th. When I walk across on the Bypass where there are traffic lights I always push the button for the pedestrian light. Never, ever walk across either of those intersections without pushing for the pedestrian light. They are quick lights and one would have to be a fast runner. With a geriatric dog in tow, that ain't happening! Always push the button and get a pedestrian walk.
Even though pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks, and even more so when they've activated the pededstrian light, I am constantly cut off by cars in the crosswalks. One time I was crossing at 57th Avenue and a young man in a small red car comes zooming out for a left hand turn and cuts me off and nearly hits me, within 3 feet of me. Like he couldn't have waited until I cleared the intersection? I was carrying a bag of dog shit and his window was open, and what can I say. I have good aim. Oh, he was swearing at me. But he had no concern for my saftey and that I had pushed the pedestrian button and had every right to be there. This happens so many times at this intersection. A couple of days ago a man driving a van turning right from 57th onto the Bypass cut right in front of me. I should have kicked the back panel of his van - he was that close to me. And yesterday again I get cut off in the same intersection by a different van, this one with a business name on it - California Closets - nearly ran me over in the intersection, driven by a man. How come it is always male drivers who nearly take me out at the intersections?
Yesterday I was on the corner at 176th and 58th Avenue, on the same side of the street as the grocery store's parking lot. An oncoming car heading west along 58th driven by a man talking into a cell phone blew right through the 4 way stop. Fortunately no other vehicles were there and no pedestrians crossing the street.
When the Cloverdale Rodeo was in town this past May, Kerry and I, along with several other pedestrians, were waiting to cross the street at 60th Avenue and 176th Street, on the same side of the road as the fairgrounds. The light turned, the pedestrian walk sign lit up, and away we all went. Out of the corner of my eye I see a car beside me moving, making a right hand turn and not stopping for the pedestrians. And there were a few of us on this bright sunny day. I screamed "stop" meaning Kerry and the others so they wouldn't get hit. The car continued on and then pulled over a little ahead at the bus stop. I had probably screamed loud enough that the driver thought I yelled at him to stop. Which he didn't do. But I think was shaken up enough to pull over and collect himself before continuing.
What is with these people that they don't look for pedestrians or at least notice the pedestrian light has been activated and look around to see if anyone is in the crosswalk. I don't know whether its the influx of new people moving to the area but Cloverdale is becoming full of bad drivers.
To be fair I see pedestrians breaking the law too, particularly crossing the Bypass and jaywalking. If you're going to break the law and jaywalk, you need to run, not hold up traffic. I watched one man with a child saunter across the street. He had a red light and stop for pedestrians and was holding up the traffic at 58th Avenue who had the green light. Great example, teaching your kid to break the law. I'm guessing he didn't bother to push the pedestrian button and was in no hurry to cross the street either. Cars were honking at him. He was lucky he didn't get run over the way traffic is in that intersection when it comes to observing pedestrians who do have the right of way.
Is it becoming too dangerous to go for a walk around Cloverdale?
No comments:
Post a Comment