drivers in Pittsburgh

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Indeed it was! That area is ridiculous and pretty insane to walk across.

I guess I'm just used to it. Not saying it isn't bad, because it is. But I get out there and be an aggressive pedestrian, attempting to make sure the cars will have to stop. And flailing and yelling at them when they don't. (I don't think I managed to kick or smack one, but I've made such motions at times.) I don't cross as much as I used to though because I've been bringing in lunch to work just about every day for months now. Going out to get lunch was one of my main reasons to walk that way.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by greg42

I guess I'm just used to it. Not saying it isn't bad, because it is. But I get out there and be an aggressive pedestrian, attempting to make sure the cars will have to stop. And flailing and yelling at them when they don't. (I don't think I managed to kick or smack one, but I've made such motions at times.) I don't cross as much as I used to though because I've been bringing in lunch to work just about every day for months now. Going out to get lunch was one of my main reasons to walk that way.

Well the next time I'm in town we'll just have to dress up like the Road Warriors in full gear and intimidate prick drivers who nearly run people down.

I get to be Hawk though.

[youngabe]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Portland was weird because EVERYONE followed the speed limit. It's the first time I've seen that in my life anywhere.

Buffalo, NY is similar. I have always had such pleasant driving experiences around Buffalo I'm usually in just pure amazement. 65 is fast and I can safely say I didn't even see "that one guy" who just has to be passing everyone. Here, even if it is a peaceful day, there's always a few of "that one guy" at minimum!

[escilade18]

Originally Posted by youngabe

Buffalo, NY is similar. I have always had such pleasant driving experiences around Buffalo I'm usually in just pure amazement. 65 is fast and I can safely say I didn't even see "that one guy" who just has to be passing everyone. Here, even if it is a peaceful day, there's always a few of "that one guy" at minimum!

Sounds completely different from the Detroit area where 10mph above the speed limit is the norm

[Hopes]

I'm glad this thread was started before we went on vacation. Otherwise, I wouldn't have noticed how pedestrians cross the road in the places we visited. In Washington state, they do stand on the sidewalk waiting for cars to stop. I didn't realize this until it was too late. I wasn't the only one guilty of not stopping. I followed two other cars through the cross walk. But I saw through the rearview mirror that the wife put her hands in the air in frustration.

I talked about this with our friends on our way to dinner because he mentioned that people don't stop at crosswalks like they should. It prompted me to get into a discussion about what qualifies as the crosswalk----if they're not in the crosswalk, they're not in the crosswalk. He insisted that standing on the sidewalk is part of the crosswalk even though it's not marked. They're from Pittsburgh, but they've been there long enough to be brainwashed. LOL

[Hopes]

This CLEARLY states that a pedestrian has to be IN a crosswalk for a vehicle to yield. It doesn't say when a pedestrian is waiting to cross the road.

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms...alk.pdf‎

This clearly states that the sidewalk is not part of the crosswalk:

http://www.dvrpc.org/transportation/...T.pd...‎

To put this into perspective, Washington law specifically states to yield to a pedestrian on a sidewalk.

RCW 46.61.261: Sidewalks, crosswalks

Unlike Pennsylvania law that ends the crosswalk at the curb, Washington law ends the crosswalk at the far end of the sidewalk or 10 feet past if there is no sidewalk.

SDOT Pedestrian Program

So many people moving to Pittsburgh from other places are expecting drivers to behave as they do in other parts of the country when our laws are different here.

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by Hopes

This CLEARLY states that a pedestrian has to be IN a crosswalk for a vehicle to yield. It doesn't say when a pedestrian is waiting to cross the road.

www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms/misc/PennDOT_Crosswalk.pdf‎

This clearly states that the sidewalk is not part of the crosswalk:

www.dvrpc.org/transportation/safety/.../pdf/.../Gary_Modi_PennDOT.pd...‎

To put this into perspective, Washington law specifically states to yield to a pedestrian on a sidewalk.

RCW 46.61.261: Sidewalks, crosswalks

Unlike Pennsylvania law that ends the crosswalk at the curb, Washington law ends the crosswalk at the far end of the sidewalk or 10 feet past if there is no sidewalk.

SDOT Pedestrian Program

So many people moving to Pittsburgh from other places are expecting drivers to behave as they do in other parts of the country when our laws are different here.

Thanks, I have wondered about that, especially when driving around any college campus. I think the most dangerous part of driving in Oakland is making a right hand turn on Forbes when students walk out into the side street while texting or carrying on a conversation.

[minthotchocolate]

Originally Posted by Q-tip motha

The ultimate John Brown is less effective if your husband lacks a beard. One of 3 inches length of greater should be groomed and maintained by at least one member of the family at all times.

Report him. Guy was acting irrationally. Sped up to try to hit you. Possibly on drugs...smells like cat pee/burnt plastic (read as: meth head)...heard cries for help coming from his trunk...etc.

Don't be afraid in a situation like this to take off your shoe and brandish it like a weapon. The absurdity of it could snap him back into reality. Men are naturally terrified of anything with heels due to our inability to walk in them. This can be highly advantageous.

Haha, my husband has somewhat of a beard. And sunglasses. He did his best under circumstances.

I saw the opposite situation last night on the Penn crossing near Target last night. A mighty old lady started walking before the green light was on, and some cars honked. She yelled "Would you shut up already!" and wielded her umbrella at them!

P.S. Shoes are scary, no sh*t: Stiletto Heel Stabbing: Texas Woman, Ana Trujillo, Allegedly Murdered Boyfriend With Shoe

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by Hopes

This CLEARLY states that a pedestrian has to be IN a crosswalk for a vehicle to yield. It doesn't say when a pedestrian is waiting to cross the road.

Are you going to hit someone who leaves the curb and walks into the crosswalk as you drive by? I would have to say that regardless of if the driver is at fault or not, the result of a driver hitting someone in/near a crosswalk is not going to be good for that driver. For instance, person who is clearly on the curb steps into the crosswalk in front of a car and is hit. Said person dies in/near the crosswalk or is paralyzed and eyewitnesses say that person was just trying to cross in the crosswalk and the car hit them. Do you honestly believe the police/courts are just going to say no problem the car did not have to yield because they were on the curb as the car was approaching? I yield to pedestrians all the time in western PA to people who are standing on the curb or are already in the crosswalk and they freeze like a deer in the headlights because it probably does not happen very often. As you pointed out in the rest of your post, newcomers to Pittsburgh may not know the culture of not yielding to pedestrians and I am honestly surprised more people have not been hit.

[SorryIMovedBack]

Originally Posted by ryanm3685

Is it the whacked out topography that has made some of the drivers here supposedly bad, or something else? I am really curious about the causes of some of these incidents and near misses. Hypothetically speaking, if Pittsburgh were flat and more automobile friendly, would a lot of our drivers be better than they supposedly are?

For the record, I can't confirm or deny whether Pittsburghers, at large, are better or worse drivers than those than similarly sized cities.

Judging from how often they hit buildings down there they must either be drunk a lot of the time, or they just don't give a hoot. Stores, homes, churches: No structure is safe from Pittsburgh drivers. That pedal to the left of the accelerator -- ya use that one to slow down or stop the car. And that wheel thing, ya turn it left or right to direct the car where to go. The objective is to drive the car to some place, and NOT hit anything (or anybody) at all. We hicks out here in the sticks learned that in high school driver's ed.