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July 12, 2008
...Seattle: not even passive-aggressive, just passive
In the left lane, at a light I did not see was red in time to stop sooner, my car is blocking most of the crosswalk. The pedestrians crossing from the right are facing an empty street; there is no traffic approaching them.
This is Seattle, so what people are doing are scrunching themselves close to the front of my car, bodies slightly twisting and off balance, to avoid stepping outside the line delineating the crosswalk.
Seattle is also the place where you will quite often see groups of people standing on both sides of a street, waiting for the light and crosswalk sign to change, when there is no traffic coming for as far as the eye can see in either direction. To make matters more surreal, sometimes people will give me the evil eye for crossing against the light. Some - but usually not all - will join me in breaking whatever law it is that says you are required to let the state decide when it is safe for you to cross the street.
Oh, this is so funny! I don’t drive, I take the bus and walk everywhere, so I am personally familiar with the pedestrian experience. I frequently find myself with a crowd of people, waiting for the light to change when nothing is coming. When I realize I am doing it I feel sheepish and silly. I am one of those who will step out and cross the street before the light, and many (but not all) will follow. I like to glance over my shoulder to see who followed and who stayed behind. Most were just waiting for someone else to do it first. Sometimes, though, I stand and wait for the light. Usually its when I am zoning out, thinking of something else, and not in a hurry. Or maybe I am afraid a cop is watching and will get me for jaywalking. As for cars in the crosswalk, I get irritated, because people try to get through a yellow light, when they don’t know if they will make it through the intersection or not. Or they are just not paying attention. I always give these drivers the evil eye, and cross close to the front of their car, just so they notice that they are inconveniencing me.
