There has been much written about pedestrians, crosswalks and traffic calming lately. Let’s get something clear! Crosswalks don’t keep you safe; speed bumps in traffic calming zones don’t guarantee your safety; the little white man light does not have your best interests in mind; pedestrian activated red lights don’t have your back. These are all tools that the city puts in place to portray the illusion of safety, and to limit their own liability.
You are responsible for your own safety, and the city has put devices and lights in place to support your own safe decision making. You will only be safe if you use these devices properly. The devices in and of themselves provide no protection.
Imagine if the city removed all the crosswalks in the city,and advised citizens to cross the street at their own peril. Gone would be the days where a cellphone-hypnotized zombie marched carefree into busy intersections. Instead, it would be like a game of Frogger, except you wouldn’t have three lives and earn an extra life for every 10 streets you cross safely. We need to stop relying on society to keep us safe, but rather use better decision making.
If you decide to march unsafely into a marked crosswalk, only to be pasted by a bus, you will be on solid legal ground. That will come in handy for the family you leave behind while you are underground. The decision is yours.
Rick Owen, St. Albert
