07-25-2016, 08:02 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-25-2016, 08:10 PM by danbrotherston.)
(07-25-2016, 05:48 PM)Canard Wrote:(07-25-2016, 01:14 PM)Markster Wrote: Crossing the street mid-block, contrary to popular belief, is not illegal.
While that's technically true, it's required that if you're reasonably close to a crosswalk, you use it. It's sort of the "don't be a dick" thing. I really don't think it's fair to the LRV operators to give them a heart attack by darting out in front of trains because you can't be bothered to walk another 30 m.
Or you know, 100 meters, if you're in the middle center section of the road (it's almost 200 meters from Victoria to Francis. It's not "being a dick" to legally cross the road. But just because it's legal to cross doesn't negate the necessity to yield the right of way. Crossing in front of a car, is still illegal, and I suppose "being a dick" as well.
As for the incident in Guelph, apparently it is pretty easy to get out of a "crossing outside of crosswalk" ticket, but really the pedestrian should have been charged with some sort of failure to yield, because that's what they did--unless there was obviously a very nearby crosswalk. I'm not sure why the police don't do this in general. Probably because the belief that its "jaywalking" and illegal to cross the road outside of a crosswalk pervades much of society.
Of course, the really funny thing is, anyone who thinks about it know's that of course, this isn't true, after all, we cross the road at trails with no legal crosswalk, we cross the road to get to our parked cars in downtown areas, all the time, and nobody bats an eye.
Don't get me started about pedestrian crossing....