Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Eureka's Heads Up Campaign

The Times- Standard reports on a campaign to reduce the number of vehicle vs. pedestrian collisions in Eureka. KIEM TV also reported on it last night. The way I saw it, KIEM seemed to suggest the effort would be directed at drivers, but maybe that was just me?

That did kinda irk me. Sure, drivers are involved in their share of these collisions but nearly all of them could have been avoided had the pedestrian been paying attention to their surroundings as they crossed the street.

They showed a clip on TV last night of the words "Heads Up" painted on the street at a pedestrian crossing. That's the right approach, although it's hard to believe many walkers would take heed even if they did notice it. 

I've gotten the impression the city is taking the opposite approach and trying to make pedestrians feel safer. City council gal, Kim Bergel is quoted; "She said the safer people can feel while walking, riding their bike or running through the city, the better it will be for everyone.".

That's not quite right. I'd suggest people feeling safe is a big reason for so many of these collisions. If they didn't feel safe when crossing the street people might pay more attention. Looking both ways before crossing the street doesn't seem as necessary when you feel safe, does it?
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Drivers can cause collisions- and even get people killed- by trying to be courteous and making pedestrians feel safe. I've wrote here before about that guy that got killed crossing 4th Street down next to the Co-Op.

The guy is standing by the crosswalk. The car approaching in the right lane stops. So does the one in the middle lane. The guy is probably thinking how nice and courteous people are as he starts crossing the street. He feels safe now and doesn't bother looking further. 

Except there's another car in the left lane coming and it doesn't stop. He walks right in front of it and is killed. In large part because the courteous drivers made him feel safe.
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Then there's the distraction of cell phones. I'll never understand why so many people can't just walk down the street and enjoy their surroundings anymore. Even the school kids.

Was out in my garage yesterday and saw an asian schoolgirl walking down the sidewalk across the street. As best I could tell she not only wasn't gawking at a smartphone, she didn't even seem to have one. 

I started to go out to the driveway to start clapping as a way of signalling my approval. Sure, she might not understand, at least until I explained it to her. Then I saw the cell phone in her left hand. Oh well, at least she wasn't staring at it.

5 Comments:

At 9:11 AM, Anonymous Tom said...

I see a LOT of pedestrians who leap off the curb with a care in the world and never LOOK for what might be coming at them. People seem to expect cars to stop automatically. sorry, life does not work that way. You have to look before you leap. Otherwise Darwin wins.

 
At 9:20 AM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

I regularly see careless behavior from pedestrians. Some of it deliberate. Not as much now as I used to see two or three years ago, but that's probably just because I'm not in the right place/ right time as often.

I've read, here and elsewhere, comments from people after a ped vs. vehicle collision that they're "supposed to stop". I'll go on to say people aren't perfect and accidents happen so peds need to be responsible for their own safety, only to be rebuked again with "peds have the right of way. cars are supposed to stop".

All part of the Makes Streets Safer mentality with no regard for the reality of the situation and the fallibility of people.

 
At 9:38 AM, Blogger Julie Timmons said...

Hope they do something about a crosswalk at 4th and D, by Denny's. Really hard to get across that intersection safely.

 
At 7:12 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You hit the nail once again. The pedestrians need to be more aware & never assume the driver sees them.
This was once written in stone, the moral code of common sense. Why is it now backwards?
Look around. Dive into other communities who are campaigning the same story lines. In the background, we discover opposers fighting an agenda they want no part of. It's sinister core is hidden beneath the promises of a renewal, rebirth, sustainability, beauty, & compassion.
The boiling frog syndrome.

 
At 7:34 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The campaign against cars is global. Search anti-car, Al Gore, Stack and Pack communities, and other related terms that fit. You will find common denominators.
This open letter from a San Francisan addressed this years ago. Eureka is always behind the times, which in this case, might be a good thing. The residents have time to put a stop to it. The media sets the tone, using the power of persuasion to hilight each non issue as a crises, to stir the residents emotions. Trolls then comment to reinforce the persuasion. It is a highly coordinated effort, supported by big money & accepted by big money seekers. Be aware that other nations, for instance China, have collected masses of Gold (300,000 lbs), while the USA has collected nothing but trillions of debt.
The letter I spoke of earlier resounds all across the globe, but especially in Calif & Hawaii. http://district5diary.blogspot.com/2012/10/citys-campaign-against-cars-hurts.html

 

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