ali_j

Quite a funny story about a British professor abroad in the US:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6251431.stm

Why they took his peppermints is beyond me...maybe they were out of doughnuts!

Silly Sod

Read this earlier today. Just shows you that the US has always had little time for pedestrians. I have to cross a six lane four way intersection everyday and it is hell. cars turning right on red is ridiculas and makes crossing the road a nightmare. It is usually much easier to cross somewhere else where you can at least see the traffic coming in only two directions. The turning lane pi$$es me off too. Is there really any need? Can't they just slow down and wait a moment until the person in front turns! Silly americans.

TruBrit

hey now silly sod i find that here however i was in la jolla california over crimbo time and the minute you stepped off the pavement the cars would stop....hubs and i were zig zagging across the road as there were so many lovely shops i had to go into and each time we crossed the road the cars would stop and i was busy thanking each and every one, they were very kind...couldn't believe how courteous all the drivers were to all the pedestrians.

Bob

nothing wrong with a turning lane on a busy area though....but yeah, jay walking, it is a bit of a joke...

Silly Sod

To be fare to the drivers here they are very much the same. Even if I am waiting for them to pass before I cross a lot of them will just wait. I dont know if they are being nice or terrified of being sued but I prefer to think they are being nice. The town planners though have some answering to do!

TruBrit

lol that's what hubs wondered but it was nice nevertheless

Silly Sod

It is a pain in the ask though if you happen to be a pedestrian midway across a busy road and an SUV suddenly swings into the turning lane. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it though and we have now bought a car so I will probably be a total hypocrite by next week ha ha

gruffbrown

Love the picture, 7 cops and a fat bloke for a Jaywalker

Bob

It's amusing how crossing the road should be personal responsibility, but over here, it isn't...but then again, they have to have a "stop" sign at pretty much every junction...more probably because people would sue otherwise, which is a bit sad...

Bob

just get hit by one, if you survive, you can sue the pants of them and you'll be laughing

scrubbedexpat099

Its actually a bit more interesting than the article proposes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENCa43r9jmY

joto

If you are going to wait at a crossing to go across the road with the signal, you have to be an Olympic sprinter to get to the other side before the lights change, no matter the width of the road.

penguinsix

Here is the cops versions of events, which don't exactly jive with the professors.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/met...10metwalk.html

scrubbedexpat099

He did have witness's.

I guess I have trouble visualising an obvious wimp going up against one of Atlanta's finest.

britvic

That poor Man :scared: absolutely intolerable. I'll tell ya now I'm shit scared of the Police over here.