Comments on: “New York” Post to Pedestrians: Drop Dead

By: Alex Yockey

Alex Yockey — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:21:16 +0000

I agree with you on the shrinking area of influence of a government but they do have an incentive to allow people to not break the law and if they think enforcement is tough now. It really would be impossible if jaywalking were illegal and they had no signals.

By: Kaja

Kaja — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:13:56 +0000

Removing all signals and timings entirely would benefit everyone except the cars, who would no longer be able to move due to the massive gridlock. (I’m not advocating for Gehlian nude streets citywide, I’m a driver; I’m just sayin’.)

The city doesn’t have much incentive to do anything for us right now, we’re purely lucky to have an administration that’s motivated and is also competent.

The fix for all these problems is to radically shrink the scope of government, with federated cities like New York was prior to 1898, and with neighborhood-sized entities setting traffic laws for their territories.

This will happen eventually, long after everyone stops considering it silly, out of raw necessity; when there’s no energy left, there’ll be no way to maintain authority over large expanses of geography. (Or any money to repair the roads with.)

By: Alex Yockey

Alex Yockey — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:56:41 +0000

Then what is the incentive for the city to make it easier to cross the street? When you can cross any time you like they no longer need to stop traffic for pedestrians or even provide a walk signal. The only thing that would encourage them to do this is having to clean up the splatter.

Do pedestrians have a right to sue when walking against a signal now? Apparently they don’t even have the right to press charges when a car comes onto the sidewalk and hits them.

By: Kaja

Kaja — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:06:34 +0000

Jaywalking shouldn’t be illegal.

If it’s illegal to cross the goddamned street, then everyone’ll be a criminal. You do not want this.

Instead, it should simply be by-statute that anyone hit by a car while walking against signal phasing, has no standing for suit. “Cross against the light at your own risk.”

Then police the drivers running red lights.

By: Alex Yockey

Alex Yockey — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:05:11 +0000

I have to say the Post has a very good point I have ridden my bike from one end of Manhattan to the other and witnessed bizarre behavior in every neighborhood. From two women pushing a loaded baby carriage out between parked cars in the middle of the block into oncoming traffic and raising their hands and yelling “stop” luckily everyone did to joggers in central park after dark during traffic hours in the middle of the street wearing all black and distracted pedestrians not even glancing up before stepping off the curb in front of my moving bike or car.

I have jay walked but never so idiotically as I have witnessed others doing and I admit to not obeying every traffic law on my bike. I do make every effort to obey all laws as a driver though.

I do not blame everything on pedestrians though. Cyclists, pedestrians and cars are all to blame. But most of all is the attitude by the NYPD that they don’t have enough time to enforce these laws like jaywalking and minor traffic infractions. How can we believe that they will enforce new laws to make streets safer when they won’t enforce any of the laws now? I say the NYPD needs to make people afraid of breaking these laws again. It worked in Chapel hill, NC when they started cracking down on jay walking. I had total strangers stopping me from jay walking with words of warning. The situation is totally out of hand and it won’t change until someone rich is killed or the body count gets to a ridiculous level.

By: Loy11

Loy11 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:57:33 +0000

Nothing will be done about this. ,

By: MRB

MRB — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:49:56 +0000

It’s totally unfair to give pedestrians a “free pass” or to assume that most jaywalking is people who can’t cross in the allotted time. In parts of the world where people obey traffic laws (like my hometown, Seattle), pedestrians also tend to cross at crosswalks during the walk phase.

bad driving and bad walking are related and responses to each other. Rampant speeding and failing to stop at reds or stops leads to pedestrian jaywalking; pedestrian jaywalking leads to failing to stop and speeding and other illegal maneuvers. they are interrelated and must BOTH by addressed via legislation, enforcement, and education.

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:25:18 +0000

NEW YORK

If I could

knit my kisses

into any form,

it would be

the New York City:

the soft slung

lips of peace.

Welcome to New York,

Behold! The romance

life unfolds.

All is wonderous

in the haven

of forgiveness,

the neon dreams

haven’t passed away

and all that’s left

aren’t shades of gray.

The bald eagles

are shaking their hips

over the balcony of bliss

yet again.

By: clever-title

clever-title — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:27:28 +0000

So, by the Post’s logic, jaywalking is an offense punishable by death, a sentence to be handed out by any passing motorist. To even things out, pedestrians should have the right to draw a revolver and shoot any drivers who speed, run lights, double-park, etc, right?
To quote the author, “Sorry, but that just doesn’t cut it: [Those things are] against the law. Period.”

By: Ian Turner

Ian Turner — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:34:53 +0000

Elderly New Yorkers can’t get across? I’m in my 20s and can’t cross Park Avenue before the light changes!

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:10:39 +0000

Well, the Post has editors such as Michelle “the Japanese deserved to be locked up in concentration camps on the basis of race” Malkin and right-wing powerbroker Bill Kristol (I believe), and if these people live in the city they ride around in limos. Otherwise they probably live in like Darien or Manhasset or Rye or Mendham or something. Hell they probably WORK outside the city.

I am patiently awaiting the Post article that slams speeders and red light runners and box blockers.