drivers in Pittsburgh (York: living in, law, moving)

[Caladium]

I would definitely love to see more photos of The Crossing Scowl. C'mon, post your best mugshot. It's Friday--time to cut loose and Do The Scowl--you know you wanna!

[sealie]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

I heard everybody in Vancouver was stoned to the gills. I'm not from here either. It takes about five years to get the hang of it.

Yeah, but it only takes about two months to learn to ignore pretty much anyone honking a car horn since it's done so often as to be meaningless. And two weeks to accept that the person in front of you on the on-ramp on 376 is going to merge at 15mph and try to kill you both.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by minthotchocolate

Q-tip motha you made my day!!!!

I had just ventured outside and employed your tactics. It worked!

(Or maybe it was the dress!)

I'm imagining "the dress" and the scowl together!

You're going to be okay! Soon you'll be walking crosswalks like a native Pittsburgher!

[Hopes]

I just nominated Q-tip for post of the week/month in the "about forum" forum.

We need a post of the week/month competition!

[Copanut]

Ah, that's why I live in the Great White North, we drive everywhere and don't have crosswalks. Who walks?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Copanut

Ah, that's why I live in the Great White North, we drive everywhere and don't have crosswalks. Who walks?

There are crosswalks in the Great White North! I've seen them!

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by Q-tip motha

You're going to have to practice your crossing scowl. I feel like a historical figure that best illustrates the effectiveness of this was one John Brown. Simply walk out in the road (give them plenty of time to react, and make sure you make eye contact), and do your thing after they stop.

This should be your initial expression. It communicates a certain strength of will, that you are willing to take a hit, spend a few days in the hospital, and litigate if necessary. That just maybe you're willing to leverage your life for an insurance payoff for your loved ones. That a certain inner darkness lurks just below the surface that they are best not discovering.

When they allow you to cross the following communicates "wise choice my friend". The Dos Equis man was inspired specifically by this picture:


This one is a good expression for someone who stopped at the last second, or they look overly annoyed by being inconvenienced for the 3 seconds that it takes you to cross:

When you almost get hit you have to go with the big guns (rifle and bible are your call). You don't know what he's going to do? Is he going to light himself on fire and fling himself on your hood? Is he capable of flinging excrement? You have awoken a demon dear impatient motorist, and hell will surely follow him:

Haha. Brilliant. My crossing scowl has been perfected as I have to use it twice almost daily - crossing over 2nd Ave where it intersects with Ross & then again on Smithfield by the library downtown.

When I get older I hope to be able to master the Cheney scowl:

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by UKyank

Haha. Brilliant. My crossing scowl has been perfected as I have to use it twice almost daily - crossing over 2nd Ave where it intersects with Ross & then again on Smithfield by the library downtown.

When I get older I hope to be able to master the Cheney scowl:

I lean to the right, but I did vote for Obama the first time, but seriously, Cheney was a p ri ck.

[FreightTrainRunning]

This somewhat sarcastic quiz from the Post-Gazette's website yesterday seems relevant to this thread:

A quiz for Downtown Pittsburgh drivers

I had an old man in a Saturn scream obscenities at me last week after he almost ran me down while I was walking in a crosswalk with the "walk" sign in my favor. Really brightens your day to almost be killed and then cursed at for your troubles.

I'm starting to think that pedestrians need to start staging some sort of "Critical Mass" type of protest in city crosswalks. Maybe just a hundred of us can line up at a crosswalk and walk slowly across it to see how much traffic we can back up.

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by Hopes

It's just downright insane to expect cars to stop on a dime just because they jumped out into traffic because they thought the crosswalk was magical.

If drivers in London can stop on a dime (10p?) the second that a person steps into a zebra crossing, surely Pittsburgh drivers could do it.