I cycle as part of my daily commute, and the cyclist belief that their need to preserve momentum trumps all other things (etiquette, traffic laws, their own safety, the safety of others etc.) is the thing that most drives me nuts about my fellow cyclists.I know, it’s annoying to have to build up that speed again. But it’s a stop sign, so stop.
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Depends on the jurisdiction. Here in LA, f’rex, jaywalking is only illegal when there are traffic control devices (lights, traffic officers) at both ends of the block. Do that and you can get a ticket. (Rare in LA, since, outside of downtown, lights on every block are rare. Came as a big shock, though, to the “urban revival” hipsters moving into downtown.)
Otherwise, pedestrians have the legal right-of-way in crosswalks (which include the unmarked crosswalks at every street corner) and may legally cross mid-block, but in that case they do not have the right-of-way, and must yield to oncoming vehicles.
(And no, that doesn’t allow drivers to deliberately run over jaywalkers - drivers are required to make all possible efforts not to hit anyone, even if they have the right-of-way; likewise, pedestrians are forbidden to leave the curb to move in front of any vehicle close enough to constitute an immediate hazard.)
So no, pedestrian right-of-way is not absolute, and jaywalking is not always illegal. (At least not in California. Don’t know what the rules are in Ontario.)
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If this story is correct, then through an effective PR effort the US automotive industry made sure – 100 years ago – that their solution to a real problem was preferred by the public and by legislators to other solutions that were also arguably problematic. In those places where their solution became law drivers do in fact have whatever right to the road the law allows them, whatever the origin of the law. That’s how laws work.
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Everyone has a duty of care. It might help to research “What is a driver’s duty of care?” in your area.
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so I noticed I hadn’t filled out my profile even though I been here ages so I had just got done writing that I’m from Hamilton Ontario Canada AKA the Shelbyville to Cory’s beloved Toronto.
two seconds later see a Hamiltonian face plant a light pole.
keep it classy Hamilton. lawl
I could have added drivers are also bad about not looking for pedestrians when making right turns when the light is green, too, even though in many of these cases they do not need to look for cross traffic because they are in the right lane of a four lane street and protected by three lanes of parallel traffic.
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