Dear Arrogant Pedestrians (Chicago, Lincoln, Hopewell: university, live in, legally)

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by dtcbnd03

Because we already have crosswalks at almost every block since we have stop lights and stop signs at almost every block due to the same population density. Why not have a pedestrian walk ONE more block to ease the flow of traffic? There's a reason traffic lights are timed and not random so you can hit multiple greens and flow traffic to minimize stop/go. Adding crosswalks mid-block defeats this whole purpose.

Oh, here, let me walk another quarter mile in 20-degree weather so as not to inconvenience Your Excellency.

What's in it for me?

[Master Jay]

jfre81, you get EXTRA exercise! We're ALL winners!

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by Master Jay

jfre81, you get EXTRA exercise! We're ALL winners!

I get a participation trophy! Yay!

[MSchemist80]

I don't have problems with pedestrians J walking. However, when pedestrians are not in a crosswalk or have a red light they do not have the right of way and need to exercise due care. You can not J walk in the middle Western Ave in heavy traffic and complain when cars almost kill you.

[Hiruko]

I know someone who was hit walking across a green light just the other day. Admits responsibility for it.

Most revamped traffic lights are not timed. They are activated based on the presence of vehicles at the intersection.

[Master Jay]

Technically, aren't I ALLOWED to JAY-walk?!?... I think it's always best practice, legally and safetywise, to follow the traffic signs, both pedestrians and drivers. More likely to NOT get tickets or accidents. Of course, nothing guaranteed in life... I know for a fact I have Jay walked by Western and Lincoln, and obviously I'm here to tell the story. In all honesty, I should have walked to the corner. I'm sure the Dank Haus would have still BEEN there if I did a bit of extra walking!! I MASTER JAY-walked that one!

[dtcbnd03]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Oh, here, let me walk another quarter mile in 20-degree weather so as not to inconvenience Your Excellency.

What's in it for me?

Then why not make the entire road a crosswalk and get rid of the white dashed lines? Why not just have cars yield to any pedestrians at any location on the street? Or how about crosswalks on I90? Because there's no way I'm walking to the next under/overpass in 20 degree weather to get from River West to West Town.

[deeman7]

Originally Posted by dtcbnd03

Then why not make the entire road a crosswalk and get rid of the white dashed lines? Why not just have cars yield to any pedestrians at any location on the street? Or how about crosswalks on I90? Because there's no way I'm walking to the next under/overpass in 20 degree weather to get from River West to West Town.

Okay.


I walk downtown every day and there are a ton of idiot pedestrians, I get it. Especially intersections where right turns (or left) are prohibited except on an arrow and every time the arrow comes on pedestrians are still crossing the street even though the don't walk sign has been up a while. Or pedestrians who blindly follow a group who are crossing an intersection against a red light and don't realize a car is approaching.


However, from a driver perspective, there are only a few locations downtown where there are crosswalks not connected to an intersection (mostly aligned with the exits of City Hall) so to hear a driver complain about those crosswalks is also idiotic.

[dtcbnd03]

You're vastly underestimating the number of midblock or non-stoplight/sign crosswalks in downtown and the immediate neighborhoods. There are hundreds if not thousands. I know the City Hall ones you speak of and they're literally 100 feet from the greater safety of an intersection. At midblock ones there are usually cars parked along the street and it's very difficult to see a pedestrian's head above the parked cars along the street before they enter a crosswalk too. This has happened to me on Division street in Wicker Park numerous times. People walking dogs too often have the dog completely hidden by the cars which leads out in front.

It's more efficient and safer directing pedestrians to an intersection or stop sign. If foot traffic truly is that high...and there's no intersection within a block or two...and they're bolting in one of those "Stop Crosswalk" signs too they might as well bolt in an actual "Stop" sign and make it an intersection for the same cost and greater safety. The only exception being maybe near schools/stadiums/events where they have crossing guards that stop traffic for obvious waves of people at peak times.

[jfre81]

Yeah, at city hall, that's kind of an outlier. You don't have much of that in the neighborhoods.

Sometimes I hop on the Belmont bus off the Blue Line to get home on Karlov, where there's no light or sign, just a white-striped crosswalk. The only alternative is to go over to Pulaski or Keeler, and unlike downtown blocks these are full blocks per the Burnham plan, i.e. 100 "points" in the address numbering grid as opposed to 50 like downtown's half-blocks. I understand the frustration, but you ought to be immune to it working and driving downtown.