Comments on: The usual blaming of the victim follows latest pedestrian death http://sustainablesavannah.com/transportation/the-usual-blaming-of-the-victim-follows-latest-pedestrian-death/ Tracking sustainability news and events in Savannah, Georgia (and beyond) Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:43:27 +0000 hourly 1 By: Jane http://sustainablesavannah.com/transportation/the-usual-blaming-of-the-victim-follows-latest-pedestrian-death/comment-page-1/#comment-1513 Jane Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:28:12 +0000 http://sustainablesavannah.com/?p=1280#comment-1513 Good points, John. I agree pedestrians do not get as fair a shake as drivers of motor vehicles do. Here is an additional illustration: Last September, when the MPC did bicycle and pedestrian counts, I counted 24 pedestrians making mid-block crossings on SR 21 in Garden City, in a two-hour time period on a Saturday. All were successful crossings. So I would guess that there are more pedestrians that cross successfully than unsuccesfully. Likewise, hundreds of thousands of people are killed in motor vehicles each year in the U.S., but even more people make successful auto trips. However, in contrast to our society's reaction to pedestrian death's, society's reaction to a auto-driver's death is something like: "Gee, that tree shouldn't have been there." Good points, John. I agree pedestrians do not get as fair a shake as drivers of motor vehicles do. Here is an additional illustration: Last September, when the MPC did bicycle and pedestrian counts, I counted 24 pedestrians making mid-block crossings on SR 21 in Garden City, in a two-hour time period on a Saturday. All were successful crossings. So I would guess that there are more pedestrians that cross successfully than unsuccesfully. Likewise, hundreds of thousands of people are killed in motor vehicles each year in the U.S., but even more people make successful auto trips. However, in contrast to our society’s reaction to pedestrian death’s, society’s reaction to a auto-driver’s death is something like: “Gee, that tree shouldn’t have been there.”

]]> By: Molla Sarros http://sustainablesavannah.com/transportation/the-usual-blaming-of-the-victim-follows-latest-pedestrian-death/comment-page-1/#comment-1512 Molla Sarros Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:26:36 +0000 http://sustainablesavannah.com/?p=1280#comment-1512 Hi, Barry Childress. Nice to see you on here and hear your feedback. Yep, there's lots more work to do and many assumptions that need examination as far as pedestrian issues. I hope that all is well wherever you are at. Kindly, Molla Hi, Barry Childress. Nice to see you on here and hear your feedback. Yep, there’s lots more work to do and many assumptions that need examination as far as pedestrian issues.

I hope that all is well wherever you are at.
Kindly, Molla

]]> By: Barry Childress http://sustainablesavannah.com/transportation/the-usual-blaming-of-the-victim-follows-latest-pedestrian-death/comment-page-1/#comment-1510 Barry Childress Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:10:09 +0000 http://sustainablesavannah.com/?p=1280#comment-1510 It's a well know fact here in Maryland that drivers do not stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. But give this issue to highway safety "experts" and this is what they come up with: http://www.baltometro.org/public/StreetSmartAds.pdf That's right we need to get more driver's aware that the real problem is dumb pedestrians and no need to yield to them at all. In fact during the launch of this campaign some brave souls crossed the road in a crosswalk and with camera's rolling a MTA bus does not stop for the group causing them to abruptly stop to avoid being hit. I find it interesting that the Government acknowledges that the average walking trip is a mile or less and at the same time it sees no problem requiring pedestrians to walk a 1/2 mile to a crosswalk and another 1/2 mile back just to cross the street as if just crossing a road should be the beginning and end of a pedestrian trip. Another interesting thing is "signal warrants" if just a few cars have a hard time crossing a road they can get a traffic signal but it has to be a lot more pedestrians that have trouble getting across the road before we give these second class citizens a traffic signal. It’s a well know fact here in Maryland that drivers do not stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. But give this issue to highway safety “experts” and this is what they come up with: http://www.baltometro.org/public/StreetSmartAds.pdf

That’s right we need to get more driver’s aware that the real problem is dumb pedestrians and no need to yield to them at all. In fact during the launch of this campaign some brave souls crossed the road in a crosswalk and with camera’s rolling a MTA bus does not stop for the group causing them to abruptly stop to avoid being hit.

I find it interesting that the Government acknowledges that the average walking trip is a mile or less and at the same time it sees no problem requiring pedestrians to walk a 1/2 mile to a crosswalk and another 1/2 mile back just to cross the street as if just crossing a road should be the beginning and end of a pedestrian trip.

Another interesting thing is “signal warrants” if just a few cars have a hard time crossing a road they can get a traffic signal but it has to be a lot more pedestrians that have trouble getting across the road before we give these second class citizens a traffic signal.

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