I am very fortunate to be able to walk to work everyday, I know that. Well except during thunderstorms but 99% of the time I can walk the 7 blocks to work. It’s nice to be able to get outside and get some fresh air. Especially now when it is so nice out, it really can brighten my day. I also walk home on lunch and it gives me a chance to get out, breathe, and recharge for the rest of the day. And with having a desk job in a small office, any chance I can get to get up and walk around is very much welcome.

I have come to notice how rude people can be being a pedestrian. I cannot tell you how often I have been very close to being hit by a car because the driver is not paying attention, or they don’t care, or they hate pedestrians or whatever the case may be. Since pedestrians have the right away, I used to assume that people would stop for me or let me go when it was my turn at a four way stop or be courteous in anyway. But the truth is, people are in a hurry to get where they are going and don’t care that you are there and just hope you don’t get in their way. They roll through stop signs and stop on the cross walk (glad I wasn’t walking there, thanks!) and in general could give a crap less about traffic laws. My favorite is when the weather is bad and the driver sees you standing there, waiting and they still roll through the stop sign or whatever and don’t care that you as a human, have to endure the elements, while they sit nice and warm and dry in their protected car. I know there is no law to be nice to people but I wish there was.

I have come to the point in my commuting to work, I am very cautious because while I may have the right of way, if I get hit by a car I will still get hurt or die. I don’t even chance it anymore. If there is a car coming anywhere near a stop sign, I stop and I wait until I know they are stopped and will let me pass without hitting me (or most likely until they roll through the stop sign or stop in the cross walk) and I wait. Most people let me wait and wait.

I am aware that I chose this mode of transportation and that a car is much bigger and can cause a lot of damage to me. I just wish that the people I encounter could take a minute to obey traffic laws and maybe be courteous from time to time. I don’t know that that is too much to ask. I almost got hit by a car on my walk home yesterday because a car came barreling through a parking lot that is hidden behind a building and it crosses the sidewalk I was walking on. The driver was barely paying attention and slammed on her breaks, while I stopped and jumped back. Embarrassed, she waved me to pass and shaken I did. These people park in this parking lot for work and do so every day. They know about the foot traffic that goes through there after 5pm and still she never thought someone might be walking on the sidewalk where people walk. I wasn’t in the street, I wasn’t even at a cross walk, I was on the sidewalk where I am supposed to be and I still almost got hit.


It’s just really annoying and I wish people would just be more observant and think about the people around them. You have to take driving a motor vehicle seriously and know that you can do some serious damage by not doing so. Stop being in such a hurry, and not paying attention to what is going on around you. I really don’t want my ending to be because someone else wasn’t paying attention to what was going on and ran me over. I imagine that would be fairly painful and would like to avoid it if I can. I appreciate your help in the matter.

Rant over :)