People need to learn in California Pedestrians have the right of way.

[highland145]

you have forgotten the Los Angeles driving mantra...


"fuck you me first"

Is that a double entendre?

 

[PowerEngineer]

The responsibility for the safety of all rests on guess who? All of us. Yes, drivers must stop for people crossing/intending to cross, but pedestrians should realize that drivers aren't mind readers.

Well stated, although the pedestrian "golden rule" I learned in Philadelphia was that pedestrians have the right of way only when cars can't possibly hit them.

 

[marvdmartian]

While I understand the OP's concern, I also believe that some pedestrians need to learn some basic physics, specifically the conservation of momentum theory.

In other words, if you step out in front of a ton and a half vehicle, closer than the minimum braking distance for the speed their going, you're going to become a smear on the road.....crosswalk, or not. Believe me, I've seen some real dumbass pedestrians think they could get away with it!

 

[madoka]

Believe me, I've seen some real dumbass pedestrians think they could get away with it!

One of my favorite incidents nearly made me a baby killer.

A couple decided to jaywalk onto the street from between two large SUVs. I didn't see them coming and they couldn't see me. But the kicker was that they were pushing their baby stroller out in front of them, so that stroller was all the way out into the street before either parent could see me coming. Fortunately I was able to swerve out of the way in time. Who the hell does that with their baby!?!?!?!

 

[soulcougher73]

Walking has its risks. Might want to pay attention instead of relying on others to obey laws.

 

[highland145]

Walking has its risks. Might want to pay attention instead of relying on others to obey laws.

Oh, welcome to 1984...

 

[master_shake_]

pedestrians have the right of way unless they are in the way.

 

[SSSnail]

How about pedestrians in California drop the uppity entitled attitude and learn that your rights - regardless of how right you were - won't matter one bit when you're dead, or worse, crippled?

Common sense, get some.

 

[master_shake_]

How about pedestrians in California drop the uppity entitled attitude and learn that your rights - regardless of how right you were - won't matter one bit when you're dead, or worse, crippled?

Common sense, get some.

crippled is worse than being dead??

 

[BoomerD]

Actually, unless the sidewalk has been graded down to road level, giving an implied crosswalk, or there is a clearly delineated crosswalk, pedestrians don't have the right of way.

You step off a curb with no crosswalk, or graded edge, and you are at fault.

True...BUT, you can still be held liable...

21950. (a) The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to
a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or
within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise
provided in this chapter.
(b) This section does not relieve a pedestrian from the duty of
using due care for his or her safety. No pedestrian may suddenly
leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path
of a vehicle that is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard.
No pedestrian may unnecessarily stop or delay traffic while in a
marked or unmarked crosswalk.
(c) The driver of a vehicle approaching a pedestrian within any
marked or unmarked crosswalk shall exercise all due care and shall
reduce the speed of the vehicle or take any other action relating to
the operation of the vehicle as necessary to safeguard the safety of
the pedestrian.
(d) Subdivision (b) does not relieve a driver of a vehicle from
the duty of exercising due care for the safety of any pedestrian
within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an
intersection.



21954. (a) Every pedestrian upon a roadway at any point other than
within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an
intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the
roadway so near as to constitute an immediate hazard.
(b) The provisions of this section shall not relieve the driver of
a vehicle from the duty to exercise due care for the safety of any
pedestrian upon a roadway.


21955. Between adjacent intersections controlled by traffic control
signal devices or by police officers, pedestrians shall not cross
the roadway at any place except in a crosswalk.

BUT...

21952. The driver of any motor vehicle, prior to driving over or
upon any sidewalk, shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian
approaching thereon.

If the pedestrians don't like the way I drive...GET THE FUCK OFF THE SIDEWALK!

 

[DCal430]

No one is talking about someone jumping in front of a car without giving it time to stop. I am talking about car after car ignoring pedestrian at a street corner who wants to cross, when their is plenty of time to stop.

 

[Jeff7]

I was in CA a few times, and found this pedestrian culture to be really weird at first.
Even at a ~45mph road with a small off-ramp kind of thing and a yield sign, I was waiting on the sidewalk for one lone car to pass by so I could cross. Bizarrely, they came to a complete stop to let me cross.
So much momentum arrested, when me waiting a few more seconds for them to pass would have let them continue without too much braking and the subsequent gas-waste from accelerating again.

It also sucked sitting and waiting for classes to change: I made the mistake of driving through Berkeley to see the gardens there. Specifically, during class change. At a 4-way stop.
Put on the damn parking brake, turn off the car, and wait. Pedestrians have right of way 100%, so vehicle traffic through the intersection simply ceases until they're done.

It was also interesting seeing people obey Walk/Don't-Walk signs.
I'm accustomed to small cities in PA. Walk signs often take a long time to do anything, if they activate at all, or if there even is one. The traffic's usually sparse enough that you can cross following the old "look both ways" method.
CA's Walk signs were at least functional, and seemed to have priority over the normal timing of an intersection's traffic lights.


I did get to see a CA native nearly lose some of her face. She walked right out into the street without looking, right as an SUV with an out-of-state plate made a quick right-turn very close in front of her.
Physics doesn't care if you have legal right-of-way.

 

[NesuD]

You are 100% wrong. In California any intersection unless at an alley, and unless posted otherwise has an implied unmarked crosswalk and pedestrians have the right of way.

maybe so but they do not have the right to just walk in front of oncoming traffic.

CVC §21950 specifies that even when in a crosswalk, a pedestrian has a duty of using due care for his safety. Therefore, pedestrians may not walk onto a roadway into the path of approaching vehicles even at locations where they have the legal right-of-way.

 

[Muse]

I was in CA a few times, and found this pedestrian culture to be really weird at first.
Even at a ~45mph road with a small off-ramp kind of thing and a yield sign, I was waiting on the sidewalk for one lone car to pass by so I could cross. Bizarrely, they came to a complete stop to let me cross.
So much momentum arrested, when me waiting a few more seconds for them to pass would have let them continue without too much braking and the subsequent gas-waste from accelerating again.

It also sucked sitting and waiting for classes to change: I made the mistake of driving through Berkeley to see the gardens there. Specifically, during class change. At a 4-way stop.
Put on the damn parking brake, turn off the car, and wait. Pedestrians have right of way 100%, so vehicle traffic through the intersection simply ceases until they're done.

It was also interesting seeing people obey Walk/Don't-Walk signs.
I'm accustomed to small cities in PA. Walk signs often take a long time to do anything, if they activate at all, or if there even is one. The traffic's usually sparse enough that you can cross following the old "look both ways" method.
CA's Walk signs were at least functional, and seemed to have priority over the normal timing of an intersection's traffic lights.


I did get to see a CA native nearly lose some of her face. She walked right out into the street without looking, right as an SUV with an out-of-state plate made a quick right-turn very close in front of her.
Physics doesn't care if you have legal right-of-way.

I live in CA, have for almost all of my life, and mostly in Berkeley, actually. I don't know which intersection you sat at waiting to get through the maze of pedestrians, but I have sometimes driven by the campus. I never had to wait more than 30 seconds or so to get through an intersection. People have awareness, whether they show it or not. Particularly people walkng near campus who are likely students have some intelligence.

Now, I get what you're saying about it being strange for a car going 45mph stopping for a pedestrian seems unnecessary and wasteful sometimes. I have done the pedestrian thing a lot more than the driver thing and for me, I do make some attempt to not slow down 10-20 tons of vehicles just so I can save 20 seconds, so I act accordingly. Sometimes I will just take my "legal" prerogative and make them stop, I know the law's on my side and almost every driver won't be an asshole and refuse to stop for you.

Walk/don't walk signs, well, you should have noticed that in Berkeley a whole lot of people (I think most) seem to pay little attention to them. In fact, near campus (particularly Telegraph Avenue), people don't care if the light is red or green, they just saunter through a crosswalk. They should have a look for oncoming traffic, but often are pretty cavalier about that too.

Myself, I am a lot more careful than a lot of people and look for cars, etc. when I'm walking rather than just walk across a street seemingly oblivious.

 

[DCal430]

maybe so but they do not have the right to just walk in front of oncoming traffic.

No I doesn't say that at all. It says they can't step out in front of a car if their isn't enough time for the car to stop. If their is time for oncoming traffic to stop they can step out just fine and the car must stop.

 

[DCal430]

Police here have actually been doing a bust on this, a cop stands and a street corner, outs his foot down like he wants to cross, and any car who fails to stop he radios ahead to have them ticketed.

 

[dainthomas]

No I doesn't say that at all. It says they can't step out in front of a car if their isn't enough time for the car to stop. If their is time for oncoming traffic to stop they can step out just fine and the car must stop.

I wouldn't stake my life on some stranger being familiar with every subsection of traffic law and/or not being on instagram or whatever. I'll wait until a car stops, then I'll walk. "Oh they have plenty of time to stop. I'll just go ahead and step out, I'm sure they won't turn me into road-meat since I have the right of way."

Umm, no thanks.

 

[SSSnail]

crippled is worse than being dead??

Let me cripple you and find out if you'd wish for death instead... D:

 

[bradly1101]

Cross when it's clear. If it isn't clear, don't cross. Common sense isn't too prevalent with you, is it?

Don't PUT yourself in a situation where you have to utilize that argument. Again, basic common sense.

Yes but when you're standing and waiting to cross, by law the traffic should stop for you. I do that for pedestrians and get illegally honked at a lot. But 99.999% of the time no one stops (and that's illegal - that's the OP's point), and the pedestrian may have to wait a long time if there's traffic.

 

[Pulsar]

Yes but when you're standing and waiting to cross, by law the traffic should stop for you. I do that for pedestrians and get illegally honked at a lot. But 99.999% of the time no one stops (and that's illegal - that's the OP's point), and the pedestrian may have to wait a long time if there's traffic.

He should wait then. In the time that it takes that pedestrian to move 30 feet, 1000's of cars have moved 100's of feet.

 

[xgsound]

Over the years I've been hit 3 times just stopping at fixed stop signs. On one occasion the guy was mad that I stopped at the stop sign!
I imagine that can be tricky trying to determine if someone is waiting to cross or waiting for their bus, especially for the cars behind you.
I would not suggest thinking you have the right of way over a car with a green light in Manhattan.

Jim

 

[zinfamous]

the CA law is the worst I have seen and lived with. It makes life far more dangerous for both peds, drivers, and bikers. Too many self-empowered pedestrians think they should just walk out into the street blindly--and they do--and far too many drivers slamming brakes at the mere site of a potential ped on any part of a sidewalk, much to the dismay ( and rear-end fault) of all drivers behind them.

It's a bad situation, and OP should feel bad for thinking otherwise. No rational municipality outside of CA enacts such retarded ordinances.

 

[Jeff7]

I live in CA, have for almost all of my life, and mostly in Berkeley, actually. I don't know which intersection you sat at waiting to get through the maze of pedestrians, but I have sometimes driven by the campus. I never had to wait more than 30 seconds or so to get through an intersection. People have awareness, whether they show it or not. Particularly people walkng near campus who are likely students have some intelligence.
..

It was right in the middle of campus, 4-way stop signs I believe, and a constant flood of people walking.


....I think it was there, anyway.I took a spin around the area in Google street view, but didn't see anything familiar. It's been awhile though.

 

[zinfamous]

It was right in the middle of campus, 4-way stop signs I believe, and a constant flood of people walking.


....I think it was there, anyway.I took a spin around the area in Google street view, but didn't see anything familiar. It's been awhile though.

well, there's your problem. Pedestrian flood along the streets is going to be on any campus. Many of those roads are primarily wide foot paths anyway, during many parts of each school day.

Now, if you are talking about driving along Shattuck, or Hearst, or Telegraph or Bancroft, which border the main campus, that is more like actually city streets. Still those are very busy of course, but I almost never have had to wait more than 2 or 3 seconds after a light in the worst situations.

 

[Jeff7]

well, there's your problem. Pedestrian flood along the streets is going to be on any campus. Many of those roads are primarily wide foot paths anyway, during many parts of each school day.

Now, if you are talking about driving along Shattuck, or Hearst, or Telegraph or Bancroft, which border the main campus, that is more like actually city streets. Still those are very busy of course, but I almost never have had to wait more than 2 or 3 seconds after a light in the worst situations.

Yes, I was a bit lost at the time.