Walking in Waterloo Region

[welltoldtales]

Stuff like that, for me anyway, depends on the day. If there is no traffic behind me and the light(s) ahead are red, I usually stop, though I don't have to. At the same time, if I'm the pedestrian on that refuge island, I'll wait until traffic clears or someone stops.  But both pedestrians and drivers need to learn the rules of the road. I've almost been run over at crosswalks (even with the flashing lights) and been given the finger (at refuge islands) while driving. Days like this, I miss my time in Toronto and Ohio where people actually knew the rules of road, both pedestrians and drivers. Though I do blame the lazy police force we have to some extent.

Please don't stop. If there is nobody behind you it will take longer for you to stop then to just proceed. If to do have someone behind you they may overtake you and hit the ped. 

And yes, I only put a little blame on drivers. The real problem is inconsistent poor design and inconsistent poor laws.

I get this sentiment, but I also believe that drivers need a constant reminder that they are not the priority.

Having toured much of the rest of Canada I will say that many other cities have a culture of stopping first. Regional officials tell me this is because of their highway acts but I don't buy it (go to north of Thunder Bay and you will see similar driver behaviour to Prince George or Antigonish). Could our infra be better, HELL YES! But we also far too often let drivers have complete right of way everywhere.

I am white and have a ton of privilege so I leverage that. I will happily lay my vehicle, my body across the line to protect vulnerable users and they can come at me all day.