Toronto Drivers
One of the pleasures of living only 2 blocks from my office is that I can walk to work.
Being a pedestrian in this city can be scary sometimes though. Drivers in this city have some bad habits, and walking can be a real adventure. My complaint today is with stopping at stoplights. We all know the line from the movie
Starman, "Red light means stop, green light means go, yellow light means go very fast". In this city they seem to have their own motto, which is "stopping for pedestrians means go slowly".
What I'm referring to is the situation where a pedestrian is waiting for a green light to cross, with a car at the same intersection waiting for the same green light. Cars are supposed to give pedestrians the right of way, and let them cross first, but the reality is that a smart pedestrian gives the car the right of way unless the driver motions the pedestrian across or gives a sign that he is aware of the person on foot.
But when a driver starts to ease out into the intersection, with their head craned around and away from the pedestrian, it is impossible for the pedestrian to judge the intentions of the driver. In this city, drivers don't like to remain stopped at intersections, they like to creep out into traffic then hit the gas. Which leaves poor Mr. O'Pedestrian in a real quandary as Mr Rubberneck Driver may not realize there is a person crossing.
And to add insult to an already difficult situation, once the driver finally turns their head back to look where they are going, and realize they are essentially blocking the pedestrian lane, they tend to impatiently wave the pedestrian across with a look of "Come on, what the hell are you waiting for?"
I fully expect to evetually be hit by a car walking to work. I only ask drivers to please pay attention to the pedestrians in the intersection.
