People that stop their cars over cross-walks...

[HPLovecraft]

If there's one thing I despise as a walker/bicyclist in a city, it has to be motorists that stop their cars over cross-walks. Obviously, it's not a big deal if they're turning, really, but it is when they just sit there when people have to walk. The majority of the time they don't care, and when they do, another car has come up behind them and they can't back up. My girlfriend's in a wheelchair and I can't count the number of engine bonnets I've whacked because of the inability to get through or the danger it puts her and every other passer-by in.

That's my rant for the day. If you drive a car, don't stop on the cross-walk!!

[Dion]

A few years back i was downtown and some idot was blocking the crosswalk with his car. Some dude yelled at him to back it up so people could cross. Driver mouthed some obscenity and said deal with it! Anyway same guy proceeded to jump on drivers hood and walked across it and jumped off. Of course the driver flies into a rage with said guy laughing as he walked on down the street

[habernac]

I usually work up a nice loogie for a holes like this one.

[HPLovecraft]

Originally Posted by Dion

A few years back i was downtown and some idot was blocking the crosswalk with his car. Some dude yelled at him to back it up so people could cross. Driver mouthed some obscenity and said deal with it! Anyway same guy proceeded to jump on drivers hood and walked across it and jumped off. Of course the driver flies into a rage with said guy laughing as he walked on down the street

That's a great one!

It really astounds me that the majority of drivers that do this just seem so callous about it, like the cross-walk isn't there for crossing, but for them to park on. When they are called on it from my experience they flip out.

[Galakanokis]

Originally Posted by Dion

A few years back i was downtown and some idiot was blocking the crosswalk with his car. Some dude yelled at him to back it up so people could cross. Driver mouthed some obscenity and said deal with it! Anyway same guy proceeded to jump on drivers hood and walked across it and jumped off. Of course the driver flies into a rage with said guy laughing as he walked on down the street

Done this! Maybe not jumped but Just kept on walking in a straight line through the crosswalk. Down on Homer and Helmecken (van) coming back from lunch. MB SL500, actually tried to roll past two people already in the crosswalk. I passed the the lady he was trying to get by as she was letting some colourful words fly. Dude got out and started yelling but as soon as I asked a lady on the street to hold my lunch (Steam Rollers) and turned around he quickly retreated. The original girl I passed fired her Jugo Juice at him just as he climbed back into his car. I have never heard such language from a pretty young thing.......

[First Lady]

Now if only we could get all of the pedestrians to not jaywalk and only cross when they have the walk signal; we could all be happy.

[gottabekd]

I will say that sometimes to get a good view when turning right, one needs to be in the crosswalk. But obviously, one should not move into the cross walk if someone is approaching it with the intent to cross.

In that same situation, I hate when stupid people in the left lane stop way into the crosswalk on a red light, blocking the person in the right lane from easily seeing oncoming traffic.

In other words: I dislike when others do things on the road to inconvenience me! Argh.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by gottabekd

I will say that sometimes to get a good view when turning right, one needs to be in the crosswalk. But obviously, one should not move into the cross walk if someone is approaching it with the intent to cross.

Yup, this happens to me all the time on the one ways downtown. People who aren't turning pull all the way into the x-walk making it so you'll never be able to turn on the red because your view is blocked. Or if it's a double turn, the person in the outside turning lane does this, but doesn't realize it's legal to double turn on the red, and just sits there blocking your view, so no turn unless you want to risk cutting off pedestrians.

... Then the pedestrians all walk on the don't walk, so no one gets to turn at all

The other great one is people that never seem to see those giant X's they paint on the ground telling people to stop back form the intersection. Then a bus comes and can't turn left because of said jackass... good times.

[Locke]

I do this periodically to give the elderly some exercise as well as inconvenience the handicapped.

Basterds think they can get away with everything.

[You Need a Thneed]

Just this last week, while I was biking to work, I made sure to cut as close to the front bumper to a car that was in the crosswalk as possible. My pedal was probably 6 inches from his bumper, and I was curving towards the car immediately after the crosswalk, so I was probably leaning over the car.

Sometime, I'm going to purposely ride into the side of a car.

Also, car that pull into crosswalks with the intention of turning right without stopping when the light is red are a huge pet peeve of mine as well. So many times, I've wished I was holding a hammer or a wrench to cause a nice dent on the person's car. Hey, it would suck for them, but they were putting my life on the line.

Also, how many cars actually stop before the sidewalk when pulling out of a driveway? Not very many. I wouldn't even care about them not stopping if they actually were looking to see if the sidewalk was clear - but they never do. There doesn't actually have to be a stop sign physically there for a driver to be required to stop before the crosswalk.

[HPLovecraft]

Originally Posted by First Lady

Now if only we could get all of the pedestrians to not jaywalk and only cross when they have the walk signal; we could all be happy.

I do agree with this, and I almost think some drivers park over the cross-walk for this specific reason. The only thing is, the driver is in a huge hunk of metal while the pedestrians are protected by only a thin layer of clothing. A lot of people are jerks whether they are in cars or on bikes, but I think it really gets to me because of my girlfriend's situation. If there's no cross-walk for her, she either gets stuck in the middle of the street or has to ride into dangerous traffic.

This particular instance actually reminds me of something that happened here in downtown Toronto on a one-way street. I was waiting for the walk-signal to come up with a couple others, and was trying to see if it was safe to just jet across to the other side of this little side street. There was one car half pulled away from the curb, half still against it, with soem guy in it on his phone or Blackberry device. I waited and waited but the guy never made a single move to pull out and turn. Soon as I decide to walk across the guy looks up and lays on his effing horn.

Gods. Sometimes I just hate cities, lol.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Dion

A few years back i was downtown and some idot was blocking the crosswalk with his car. Some dude yelled at him to back it up so people could cross. Driver mouthed some obscenity and said deal with it! Anyway same guy proceeded to jump on drivers hood and walked across it and jumped off. Of course the driver flies into a rage with said guy laughing as he walked on down the street

I want to think this is hilarious, but I'm a driver at heart... Sometimes you just end up in the crosswalk. Sometimes you're behind a cube van and you can't see the lights and then the guy guns through the light and you see that it's yellow, or red and you just hammer the brakes and boom, you're in the crosswalk for the next 45 seconds...

So, if someone walked across my hood, I would, without hesitation, spring from my vehicle and walk my fist across the guy's face. Repeatedly.

[REDVAN]

Originally Posted by 4X4

I want to think this is hilarious, but I'm a driver at heart... Sometimes you just end up in the crosswalk. Sometimes you're behind a cube van and you can't see the lights and then the guy guns through the light and you see that it's yellow, or red and you just hammer the brakes and boom, you're in the crosswalk for the next 45 seconds...

So, if someone walked across my hood, I would, without hesitation, spring from my vehicle and walk my fist across the guy's face. Repeatedly.

I agree.

[Jagger]

Originally Posted by 4X4

So, if someone walked across my hood, I would, without hesitation, spring from my vehicle and walk my fist across the guy's face. Repeatedly.

When I first saw this thread title my first thought was, "I wonder what 4x4 is going to have to say about this?" I can honestly say, sir, that you didn't disappoint!

edit: Redvan came to mind a few seconds later so ^^^^^ !

[REDVAN]

Beware of me pedestrians, beware.

And also...



Just saying... what does that sign mean? I should stop for them in the crosswalk... ok but then where will they walk?

Edit: probably should make it clear that playground zones, and crosswalks are two things that I actually care about when driving, and I always stop well outside of a x-walk. I imagine what it'd be like to be the pedestrian, so I give them respect. But if I see them creeping on the don't walk, then I make sure they can't walk. I'm a basterd that way. (Can we write yet?)

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Jagger

When I first saw this thread title my first thought was, "I wonder what 4x4 is going to have to say about this?" I can honestly say, sir, that you didn't disappoint!

edit: Redvan came to mind a few seconds later so ^^^^^ !

Honestly, I get where the OP is coming from. And I get Dion's post as well... If I were confronted for being in a crosswalk, even if I had a legit excuse such as the one I mentioned in my last post, I probably wouldn't bother explaining it to some loudmouth, I'd probably tell him to keep walking. Or, if the loudmouth was particularly disagreeable, I may even mix in a "here's a quarter, go call someone who cares" or maybe a "your mother's a whore"...

Walking across the hood of my vehicle is a pretty good way to goad me into smashing your face into the cold pavement, giving you an up-close and personal look at the crosswalk you so dearly cherish.

Some long-time posters may remember the story I told about the guy that punched my hood. He was a resilient old bugger, but I doubt his collar bone agreed that punching 4x4's truck was a good idea.

[Jagger]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Some long-time posters may remember the story I told about the guy that punched my hood. He was a resilient old bugger, but I doubt his collar bone agreed that punching 4x4's truck was a good idea.

I always enjoy your stories, 4x4. You're certainly an entertaining poster around these parts. Your expedition into the wild is, by far, my favourite though. That seems strange as it wasn't strictly vehicle related.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Jagger

When I first saw this thread title my first thought was, "I wonder what 4x4 is going to have to say about this?" I can honestly say, sir, that you didn't disappoint!

edit: Redvan came to mind a few seconds later so ^^^^^ !

I agree. I somehow knew 4x4 would stumble on this thread and post what he did. Needless to say my predictions were spot on

[Engine09]

The only reason a person would get stranded in a crosswalk is because they're a crap driver with no clue what is happening around them, eyes focused straight ahead. Morons.

And if someone gave me attitude or threatened me after they were in the wrong blocking off the walkway I wouldn't think twice about punching their hood. You messed up, keep your mouth shut.


That's not my biggest gripe when I'm a pedestrian, at least those cars are stopped. It's the guys who don't even wait for you to get on the sidewalk and zip by you with inches to spare. By far the most dangerous thing a driver can do, just wait until the person is on the sidewalk if you're making a right turn. This isn't New York City and you can spare a couple more seconds.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Kryzsky

The only reason a person would get stranded in a crosswalk is because they're a crap driver with no clue what is happening around them, eyes focused straight ahead. Morons.

2 things:

Yes, people that have their eyes focused straight ahead are morons.
And
No, people that are stranded in a crosswalk are not always crap drivers. More often than not, they are stranded in a crosswalk as the result of a crap driver in front of them.

Originally Posted by Kryzsky

And if someone gave me attitude or threatened me after they were in the wrong blocking off the walkway I wouldn't think twice about punching their hood. You messed up, keep your mouth shut.

Are you saying that you're allowed to mouth off a driver in a crosswalk but he's not allowed to say anything back? And that if he did, you'd punch the hood? Try that on me one day.

Originally Posted by Kryzsky

That's not my biggest gripe when I'm a pedestrian, at least those cars are stopped. It's the guys who don't even wait for you to get on the sidewalk and zip by you with inches to spare. By far the most dangerous thing a driver can do, just wait until the person is on the sidewalk if you're making a right turn. This isn't New York City and you can spare a couple more seconds.

Agreed.