ATA: Compliance with Must Stop for Pedestrians law very low in Chicagoland

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Permalink Reply by David Barish on September 11, 2014 at 3:05pm

I see pedestrians on the phone running to beat a light when there are just a couple of seconds left on the light.  I see this every day. My rear end is bruised from being hit when I am a pedestrian. I stop and somebody clips me from behind trying to run and make the light. The only thing more annoying than this is the driver who sees traffic stalled ahead of him and decides to try to make it through the intersection with those same couple of seconds left. He is inevitably stuck in the intersection at a red light forming the final lock to the grid.   Ok, that was a thread drift...back to the point. Downtown pedestrians are much less reliable than the drivers. The drivers stop because they do not want  to peel humans off their tires. Cab drivers are the exception. Loop pedestrians seem to have a lust to be pasted to tread as they dart into the street with no regard for the time on the clock. They figure that until the light turns dead red they will hustle into the street and occasionally put down their phone to take a look, but not often.

Jeff Schneider said:

I see similar pedestrian behavior.  Typical scenario:

1) Pedestrian waits on corner for drivers to stop;

2) Drivers do not stop;

3) Pedestrian starts looking at phone while waiting;

4) I arrive on bike and stop;

5) Pedestrian is still engrossed in phone;

6) I ask, "Would you like to cross?"

7) Sometimes they cross (and often thank me), sometimes they stay on the corner, thinking that they are required to yield to drivers...

Steve Weeks said:

I stop for pedestrians, and if possible, try to take the lane momentarily as I've had drivers go around me. Then I've had to ask pedestrians at times to GTF across the street... they want to give *me* the right of way (some car drivers do this as well).

One thing I'd like to see is the crosswalk design changed a bit to include a prominent box at either end, so a person stepping into the box would be a more definitive signal to an approaching cyclist/motorcyclist of an intention to cross... sometimes it's hard to tell!

Steve

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 11, 2014 at 3:35pm

Hope springs eternal. 

Jim Reho said:

I have to disagree.  Toni Preckwinkle would destroy Rahm if she ran, machine or not.  Karen Lewis will give him a run for his money too, if she decides to go for it.  
Self-sealing Stembolt said:

How long have you lived in this city Jeff?

The mayor isn't "elected' -the machine picks him.  The "election" is a mere formality. Rahm is still the machine's picked boy.  Until he isn't, he's the mayor for life if he wants to be.  That's how things work here. 

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