Dear Editor,
An ode to people pressing that crosswalk button:
Pressing that button does not authorize you to immediately just start walking out into the road, believing that all vehicles and bicycles can stop on a dime by some force field caused by the flashing yellow lights.
The law of physics strongly disagrees with you, and eventually what’s going to happen to you is you’re going to wind up on the hood of a vehicle, under its wheels or take a helmet to your face from a cyclist.
Almost every day, while in my car, or on my bike, someone presses that button and with nary a glance, just starts walking out into the road believing they are now safe because of those flashing lights.
My only way to educate people when this happens is with the horn of my car, or by yelling from my bike that they are going to get killed — as they then look up and realize “Wow, there was a car just five feet from me going 50kmh, maybe I should have looked before I actually started crossing?”
And mentioning that makes me ask, how about a little courtesy before you press that button?
Why not look left and right first, and if you see completely empty roads, except for maybe one vehicle that will pass you in a few moments, why not let them pass you before pressing that button?
It’s statistically proven that crossing a road with no traffic is safer than crossing when a vehicle is coming at you.
It’s just a few moments. Plus, the driver will thank you, trust me.
I don’t know why so many people throw common sense out the window at the press of a button, but it really needs to stop.
Geordie McGillivray
RICHMOND
