Making an intersection unsafe for pedestrians to save seconds for drivers • Hacker News Board

Re: Making an intersection unsafe for pedestrians to save seconds for drivers

#461

Post by Libcat99 » Thu, Jan 16, 2025, 2:13 AM UTC

postoplust wrote: post #441

dylan-m wrote: post #332

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why it's often safer to "jaywalk". If you're in the middle of a block, you only have to look two ways. Even if you screw up, a driver going at a reasonable speed is more likely to see you anyway because you're directly in front of them. I'm not exactly advocating for crossing in the middle of a street in North America since it's depends a lot on the situation, but there's a reason why people sometimes just do…

mid-block crosswalks exist[1] and can placed where people already "jaywalk". To me it's like installing sidewalks on the desire paths[2]. [1]: https://sustainablecitycode.org/brief/mid-block-pedestrian-c... [2]: https://99percentinvisible.org/article/least-resistance-desi...

Our town has Installed several crosswalks with flashing lights in common crossing areas away from traffic lights. It feels many times safer.

Re: Making an intersection unsafe for pedestrians to save seconds for drivers

#462

Post by rexpop » Thu, Jan 16, 2025, 2:27 AM UTC

nmeofthestate wrote: post #445

rexpop wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully it's not the last. We need to flip the script on cars vs pedestrians, especially since there has been a long history of anti-pedestrian propaganda funded by the automobile industry. Meanwhile, car-centric environments contribute to air pollution and sedentary lifestyles. They limit public spaces, reducing community interactions and fostering loneliness, while also exacerbating socioeconomic inequalities by…

I'm a pedestrian, and a car driver, and a cyclist and I think this is a reasonable way to control an intersection. Anti-car urbanism is sliding into being a bit of a pseudo-religion for cranks IMO.

I want to confirm that it's a religion for me. I'm not a spandex-wearing hobbyist; I ride my bike or take public transit because it is practical and inexpensive. I do not bike for fun.

The structure of the built environment which accommodates automobiles is hostile to human life. It has been—in the short run—convenient for the growth of a certain type of economy which is also hostile—in the long run—to human life.

As Ben Franklin might say, we have paid too dearly in blood, turf, and CO2 for this strip mall whistle.

If anything is worth the reverence of worship—and perhaps nothing, in your philosophy, is—few candidates can compete with the human life, community, and sustainable industry which a car-centric environment precludes.

Edit: Oh, except maybe the natural world it threatens.

Re: Making an intersection unsafe for pedestrians to save seconds for drivers

#463

Post by xiphias2 » Fri, Jan 17, 2025, 4:27 PM UTC

horsawlarway wrote: post #264

xiphias2 wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know USA, but in other parts of the world yellow and red are different colors. Just because 2 things are illegal they aren't the same, and it takes away all seriousness from the article for me.

Genuinely - why do you care? His point is absolutely correct - the cars used to stop, and now instead they're accelerating to beat a light change. I genuinely don't know if that's actually illegal in cali - but it definitely is in several states, and you'll get ticketed for failing to stop for a red light. --- > but in other parts of the world yellow and red are different colors. Yellow is the light that means "start…

> Genuinely - why do you care?

Because the article is clearly biased. If I wanted biased articles I could go anywhere else on internet.

Re: Making an intersection unsafe for pedestrians to save seconds for drivers

#464

Post by CuriousCosmic » Tue, Jan 21, 2025, 7:52 PM UTC

rcpt wrote: post #383

andrepd wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Crosswalks before the entry to the roundabout, where drivers need to stop anyway; bonus points for a gentle speed hump. Am I missing something?

What kind of roundabout has a "stop anyway"?

Normally they are for pedestrian crossings. The stop for the incoming traffic will be near where the vehicles yield prior to entering the roundabout but the stop for outgoing traffic is several cars away to allow cars to continue moving in the roundabout.

And because they are pedestrian crossings, they only go red when someone is walking across them and for a few seconds before and after. Which means in most cases they are green 90-95% of the time and only go red for less than a minute at a time.