Pedestrians are the enemy

Angela · Post by **Angela** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 1:32 am

Why do pedestrians think its okay to just walk out in front of your scooter even thought they see you coming.

This happened to me three times today. I yelled at one guy and he looked totally confused.

Am I the only person who has this problem.

Scooter Hoot · Post by **Scooter Hoot** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 1:36 am

I prefer the stop as close to them as possible and lay on the horn method. The thing is so damned loud it scares the crap out of them.

LisaLisa · Post by **LisaLisa** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 1:49 am

ummm if there is a crosswalk and no light you have to stop as soon as they put a foot in the street. sorry

Angela · Post by **Angela** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 1:55 am

LisaLisa wrote:ummm if there is a crosswalk and no light you have to stop as soon as they put a foot in the street. sorry

Yes, I do know about pedestrians having the right of way. I am talking about no crosswalk, no intersection, just right in the middle of the road between parked cars they run out.

LisaLisa · Post by **LisaLisa** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:01 am

Oh. Those.
usually on cell phones... or in a mad shopping/lunch frenzy.
Pity them. Think of them as golden retrievers. Darting after a squirrel.
Look on the bright side.
At least they won't try to bite your tires.

It's like the driver's ed films with the kid chasing the ball into the street.

Francois Donadet · Post by **Francois Donadet** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:13 am

I think people see a scooter and assume that you're incapable of going faster than a amish horse cart.

LisaLisa · Post by **LisaLisa** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:25 am

No, scooters are invisible.

Post by **Lostmycage** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:37 am

[/whoosh]

[whoosh]

Post by **jmazza** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:22 am

This is very annoying but one lesson to pull from it is that most people have a much harder time judging the speed of a two-wheeled vehicle than they do a car. It's good to remember that in a number of situations.

n2tattoos · Post by **n2tattoos** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:37 am

can't we just clip 'em a little? i got full coverage.

kidding, kidding.

Vic · Post by **Vic** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:01 am

I think they see us, they just think because it is a scooter it doesn't count.

We simply MUST be going slow, well because it is a *scooter*.

I have one supervisor at work who is convinced that my children (ages 10 and 13) ride my scooter around. I have given up trying to explain to her that it is a 125cc motorized vehicle capable of going upwards of 55mph and that a 10yr old has no business (at least in the state of Ohio) operating one.

Pick your battles, pedestrians too stupid to realise that getting hit by a scooter is gonna HURT really deserve to be treated like any other dumb animal and given allowances for their lack of mental capacity.

-v

Quo Vadimus · Post by **Quo Vadimus** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:16 am

Vic wrote:deserve to be treated like any other dumb animal and given allowances for their lack of mental capacity.

-v

Until May 1st, when pedestrian season starts. Then I put a doughnut in the middle of the road and lie in wait.

r0sa · Post by **r0sa** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 1:16 pm

because they assume you are slow, run them over! especially the ones that lash out at you when you are just a few steps away from them

bunny · Post by **bunny** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:14 pm

Quo Vadimus wrote:
Vic wrote:deserve to be treated like any other dumb animal and given allowances for their lack of mental capacity.

-v
Until May 1st, when pedestrian season starts. Then I put a doughnut in the middle of the road and lie in wait.

The visual on this has me in tears.

Post by **illnoise** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:15 pm

Remember, we're all pedestrians sometimes.

Also note that pedestrians have the right of way in a mid-street crosswalk. If you see someone enter a crosswalk that isn't regulated by a traffic signal, you are obligated to stop and let them cross, no matter how busy the street. Surprisingly few people are aware of that. They've been cracking down on that in Chicago.

ERik3tb · Post by **ERik3tb** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:35 pm

Let them start crossing in front of you.

Then sneak up on them and take the heel of their shoe off with your front tire. When they give you a dirty look, Just smile wave and say "Oh, you can see me now?" then drive off.

DIPA · Post by **DIPA** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:38 pm

LisaLisa wrote:Oh. Those.
usually on cell phones... or in a mad shopping/lunch frenzy.
Pity them. Think of them as golden retrievers. Darting after a squirrel.
Look on the bright side.
At least they won't try to bite your tires.

It's like the driver's ed films with the kid chasing the ball into the street.

OOOh...shiny red ball!

djelliott · Post by **djelliott** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:46 pm

Lostmycage wrote:[/whoosh] [whoosh]

Here, I fixed your html for you.

[whoosh]

[/whoosh]

Angela · Post by **Angela** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:02 pm

illnoise wrote:Remember, we're all pedestrians sometimes.

Also note that pedestrians have the right of way in a mid-street crosswalk. If you see someone enter a crosswalk that isn't regulated by a traffic signal, you are obligated to stop and let them cross, no matter how busy the street. Surprisingly few people are aware of that. They've been cracking down on that in Chicago.

If it were a crosswalk I would not be complaining.

Its the middle of a street. Sometimes a really busy street at that and they are too lazy to walk to the corner to cross.

Post by **illnoise** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:22 pm

Angela wrote:If it were a crosswalk I would not be complaining.

That's cool, just thought I'd point it out. I've seen plenty of pedestrians nearly hit in a crosswalk, getting honked/screamed at by cars that should be giving them the right of way.

Plus, every day I get to watch my wife complain about pedestrians when she's driving, then complain about cars when she's walking. : )

Bb.

kneil67@yahoo.com · Post by **kneil67@yahoo.com** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:58 pm

LisaLisa wrote:No, scooters are invisible.

wow im like wonder woman exccept im a man in the invisible jet.

LisaLisa · Post by **LisaLisa** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:30 pm

kneil67@yahoo.com wrote:
LisaLisa wrote:No, scooters are invisible.
wow im like wonder woman exccept im a man in the invisible jet.

Not without the tiara you ain't

Cheshire · Post by **Cheshire** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:52 pm

Had my first pedestrian step out almost right in front of me today. Looked straight at me, our eyes met...and he leaned forward to bolt out into my path. (We're talking jaywalker, btw.)
Brakes, a little evasive weaving, and a meaningful helmet-shaking "BAD DOG" and luckily, he slowed enough to keep our paths from intersecting. (He was coming from the left across a "suicide" (center) turn lane.)

I need to learn to ride (and drive) with "horn" as part of primary responses. I go into evasive maneuver mode so quickly that my brain completely forgets the horn's there until after it's all over.

Crosswalks: if I see someone even eyeball one as they pass it, I'm ready to stop, with one eye on my mirrors. Doing my part to change the driver mentality in my town by example.

black sunshine · Post by **black sunshine** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:03 am

Francois Donadet wrote:I think people see a scooter and assume that you're incapable of going faster than a amish horse cart.

much respect for the Brad Neely avatar!

fretman · Post by **fretman** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:23 pm

I am talking about no crosswalk, no intersection, just right in the middle of the road between parked cars they run out.

This is expected behavior in NYC, very typical. Yesterday a woman darted out in front of me, from between cars, with a baby in a stroller

lobsterman · Post by **lobsterman** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:28 pm

This is exactly the thing that prompted me to buy a Stebel horn (before they started putting them in standard).

Keep in mind that pedestrian rules vary depending on locations. There are places where they can step out into the road any time they want and anywhere they want - and still have the right of way over vehicles.

Angela · Post by **Angela** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:58 pm

lobsterman wrote:This is exactly the thing that prompted me to buy a Stebel horn (before they started putting them in standard).

Keep in mind that pedestrian rules vary depending on locations. There are places where they can step out into the road any time they want and anywhere they want - and still have the right of way over vehicles.

In San Diego they crack down on jaywalking so its really not okay. Especially since the crosswalk is just a few feet away, people are just stupid sometimes.

n2tattoos · Post by **n2tattoos** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 8:07 am

Angela wrote: In San Diego they crack down on jaywalking so its really not okay. Especially since the crosswalk is just a few feet away, people are just stupid sometimes.

i once got a ticket for jaywalking.

Tenchi · Post by **Tenchi** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 5:37 pm

Where I live in San Jose, we have perfectly good sidewalks, but a lot of people here walk in the street, three feet from the curb. I just don't get that.

Maybe they don't want to get the concrete dirty?

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 5:56 pm

Tenchi wrote:Where I live in San Jose, we have perfectly good sidewalks, but a lot of people here walk in the street, three feet from the curb. I just don't get that. Maybe they don't want to get the concrete dirty?

We get people who do that around here, but they usually have a pretty good excuse: two feet of snow covering the sidewalks and mounds of snow piled up along the side of the road. (Not at present, of course.)

Modern Buddy

Pedestrians are the enemy

Pedestrians are the enemy

What I don't understand....

Re: What I don't understand....