Dependable Erection

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Pedestrian signs

Spend a little time at the Brightleaf Square courtyard, and you'll notice that pedestrians crossing Gregson St. are treated with a bit of respect by drivers passing through. Maybe it's because a lot of the drivers are also Brightleaf patrons, or maybe it's the ratio of pedestrians to motorists.

Or maybe it's the frikkin' sign in the middle of the road reminding drivers that it's the law for them to allow pedestrians to cross the street.


Which forced me to take a second look at the new pedestrian signage at Knox St. and Roxboro St, where i cross daily.


Why is it so goddamned hard for the NCDOT to post signage reminding motorists that it's the law to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk? What are they afraid of? Why can't the signage at all crosswalks include this bit of information, helping to educate the driving population that they are not any more privileged in their use of public facilities than those who are not behind the wheel? How hard would it be to make crosswalks look like this:


Or this:


Or even better, this:


click on any of the photos for a high res version

I've had my fill of fucking morons like JohnJacobH who writes in to the News and Observer dismissing "Bureaucratic fad(s) such as "traffic calming devices" (traffic circles)," as though any attempt to remind him that roadways are community property, and that he is not entitled to treat them like his own personal Lowe's Speedway, is somehow emblematic of the bureaucracy trampling on his rights to be free.

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1 Comments:

  • I think those signs in the center of the street are super -- there's one on Ninth Street as well. Also, I was approaching that Knox/Roxboro intersection (traveling North) this morning and although I could clearly see the sign on my left, I could not see the sign on the right until I was almost upon it because of the trees that were in the way. A sign in the middle of the street would be far more helpful and traffic-calming.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:28 AM  

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