Pedestrians have no Rights... NO WAY!





same assholes... different day

it is true
my anger is preloaded... the chip on the shoulder may not always be visible... but it is always there

each day I wake up refreshed feeling that every day is a new day
excited to see my wife and children

excited to see my dog
when exposed to the outside world I breath deeply feeling energized
especially on a day like today where it is so springlike... even if winter has not yet ended
then I approach the street
it is here where the nastiness begins
interaction with others... interaction with others who are in
their cars

I let the cars pass... the cluster of cars running the red light at the top of the hill bother me
but not so bothered as I once was... I am getting used to it... I have come to expect it... the block has taken action with DDOT to try and work towards change... but nothing immediate...

the cars racing up hill doubling the speed limit are are also my concern...
this too is common place
all I want to do is find a safe sensible gap where I can cross the street so that I can walk my dog
this safe gap is a small window...

there will never be a gap so grand that I will be able to cross both lanes without a car zooming my way from e
ither direction
to wait for this break in traffic would be a long wait for a moment that never comes
perhaps if cars were going a rate closer to the speed limit the gap of between cars would be greater
but this is not the reality for this situation
so I cross at the BEST POSSIBLE situation
the same way that everyone on this street crosses
including my wife and children

my children are still of the age where they agree to my requests to hold my hand or to walk in my shadow but when will they be able to cross this street alone?
no time soon as long as the cars behave they way they do

so... it is clear in both directions
I step out into the street

no downhill traffic... about to cross the double yellow line
I enter the uphill lane... a few hundred yards away a Volvo comes screaming up the hill
only it is not screaming... it is not humming... it is almost silent
smooth an quiet closing distance quickly

the car which was small in the distance becomes larger fast and enters the foreground
the POWERBAND has been engaged
the TURBO POWERED ENGINE has expressed its potential to leap from 0-60 in seconds flat
all six cylinders are exploding in high performance unison
it is an impressive machine

that car stops ten yards before me

the driver gestures impatience
the nonverbal language is apparent on her face
she is making a face... an ugly face... a face that is trying to tell me something
it is nastiness... it is early am... I have just kissed my family goodbye... wished them all a good day... now the first person other than my family that I encounter is giving me this nastiness
I stop at the side of the road
the driver pulls up... the car may be new... she is slow to roll down the window
maybe she is assembling an apology
the window comes down...


with the window down I start the conversation

GOOD MORNING... you know... the speed limit on this road is twenty-five miles per hour

without any measure of my statement... without thinking of the words that left my mouth
the rebuttal comes out
not what did she do... but what am I doing...
she says...

YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST CROSS AT THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET YOU NEED TO CROSS AT THE STOP LIGHT!

an effort to trump my effort
once again the car driver has told me (this time to the pedestrian and not the cyclist) that they can modify the law to suit their needs
while all others must live by the letter of the law
even if their car driving law modification put lives at risk
while the other modifications are simple and sensible
while their actions are threatening to all around them

so... being a father I know the failure of others to listen
so rather than repeat things five times
rather than point her to the obvious

rather than trying to converse with a person who is all mouth and no ears I say one thing
no... I do not ask her to look in the mirror and see her actions... then once evaluating her own actions then she may judge others
no... I tell her that she is a cunt

not clever... not cute... not productive
but... accurate
a person so self centered
a person putting anyone's life at risk who happens to step in their path is a cunt
this woman may not always be a cunt
but behind the wheel she is most definitely a cunt

my guess is that this is her commuter route
she is driving down this residential street as if it is a freeway
from her accent she may have thought that this road is the AUTOBON
but no... it is a residential street
more than likely she lives on a residential street
not sure if she has a family... but I am thinking if she does she would not want people speeding down her street putting her family at risk

I cuss at people too often
I give people the finger too often
I stopped spitting on cars because I do not have enough saliva to spit on all the cars that need to be spat upon

this woman and her driving style is not unique
she is just like everyone else
a self righteous asshole putting her self first while putting everyone else at risk
her actions are without merit
the HIGH SPEEDS do not get anyone to their destination any more quickly
but... these HIGH SPEED with their decreased reaction time and their decreased stopping distance will put lives at risk

this is clearly the driver who would slow to a snail's pace for the pothole in the road but will not make an effort to slow for the pedestrian
yes... she stopped for me... but she had to
and her stopping.... an action even with our short exchange did not alter her arrival time through the intersection
the light up the block was red and stayed red for the duration of our pleasant encounter

she needs to take the test
T HE C A R C O M U T E R C H A L L E N G E
I may just post that again!

sadly... life is no safer in the CROSSWALK
crossing the street in this town is like running with the bulls
control the car chaos
the pedestrians are forced to cross where it is most safe
putting their lives in their own hands

this interaction was less than productive
but I am at wits end
this is everyday that I get this sort of response
and only after I wait for the most safe opportunity to cross
the WORST CASE SCENARIO scares me
I am scared for the families on my block
I am scared for people on similar blocks all over the city
car culture sucks
people need to slow down!