Daily Pedestriating 1

Lexicographic note: RantWoman considers the word "pedestriating" jargon completely beyond the pale. However it is the very word used by people who study walkability and pedestrian amenities to specify--hold onto your socks; try not to spasm with excitement--walking around meaning to get from a to b, using public space on foot. RantWoman is unclear whether this activity includes strollers, rollerskates, skateboards or wheelchairs but it definitely does not include cars, bicycling, driving, riding the bus, canoeing, riding in a blimp....

The other piece of lore important to this story: in Seattle, cops give tickets for jaywalking, defined variously as crossing in the middle of the block, crossing against the light, and disputably sometimes at intersections without marked crosswalks.

RantWoman's first pedestriating adventure of the day occurred at her most frequently visited bus stop while waiting for the bus. This bus stop is on a major arterial, technically actually a state highway though in that stretch no one much pays attention to that. The arterial comes through at a diagonal. There is a stoplight at the far end of the block, but the bus stops on both sides of the street are nearer the other corner. Can you say "incentive to jaywalk?" Can you say "open and flagrant jaywalking at all hours of the day and probably night with no regard to weather or traffic conditions and in fact itworks better if traffic is almost stopped"?

There is hot dispute (see above) about whether crossing at this corner is jaywalking since all intersections are assumed to be pedestrian crossings. Whether or not crossing there is legal is one issue; RantWoman thinks based on traffic volume and visibility that it is an astoundingly bad idea, so RantWoman does not do it. Instead she always walks to the other end of the corner and counts the walk as part of the 10,000 steps a day she aspires to.

Other people still cross at this corner all the time. Vigorous youth do it. People with canes do it. People with both white canes and walkers do it People in wheelchairs do it. There used to be a guy on a movable bed who did it. The movable bed guy eventually died, may he rest in peace, of something related to the need for the movable bed. In contravention to all guesses that this intersection might be a complete pedestrian kill zone, at least he did not die from jaywalking at this corner.

(If local traffic engineers asked RantWoman, she would point out that between the bus stop and a lot of people with mobility issues who live in the area, it would be wonderful to have a stoplight there as well as on the other end of the block. Sadly, no one has asked RantWoman's opinion.)

Today those mad jaywalkers were even doing it in clumps in front of TWO cop cars who had already stopped someone. The someone was some hapless youth who crossed at that corner during rush hour. Right in front of a cop. Since it was rush hour the cop was going nowhere fast anyway.

RantWoman SUPPOSES the kid may have done something to attract notice like flash gang signs or give the cop the finger. At that distance, the event was basically a sunny blue fog with poking red flashers to RantWoman. Anyway the cop dutifully turned on the flashers. spreadeagled the kid against the car, ran his ID, and did all the usual cop things, possibly including call for backup. The run ID check took a bit and meanwhile, behind the cop in the short traffic lull created by the cop car with flashers going, people were jaywalking up a storm.

What do YOU think is wrong with this picture?