Most pedestrians on 24th Street (Noe Valley) orbit in their own galaxy. These ipod listenin, blue tooth talkin, crackberry squeezin, stroller pushin aliens like to truck right into the crosswalk in front of autos already making a turn. Or they blast off the curb clueless to the autos that have been waiting (...and waiting) to get going to where they're going.
OK, pedestrians have the right of way. But this is not a right without expiration. 24th Street pedestrians will be better off applying the normal rules of humanmobility...like generally keeping to the right (unless you're a Brit, Irish, Australian et al) and yielding to whomever arrives first. This universal law of motion applies to all moving objects like autos, people, aliens, strollers, bikers, boarders, skaters...
"But why would I ever yield to an auto?" the 24th Street pedestrian ponders. Because if the autos can't get going to where they're going, the "solution" is a traffic light. Hello? Can we agree the universe doesn't need more traffic lights?
Next time I'm crossing the road, I'm letting the waiting auto take its turn through the intersection. Not because it's about equality, but because we agreed (at least I did) that we don't want more traffic signals with their lighted Walk (white) and Don't Walk (orange) figurines from outer space. Some signals are outfitted with unnatural high-pitched sounds that warn aliens the sign is about to change.
I'm using 24th as a driver, as a pedestrian, as a stroller mom. and I agree with every line of this. And yes, as a pedestrian, I WAIT FOR MY TURN, specially when I have my kids with me who need to learn that pedestrians STOP, LOOK, LISTEN then and only then decide and commit to cross a street.
Why would anyone in their right mind drive on 24th street? Honestly, you deserve everything you get. Though I do concur that there are some thoughtless street crossers out there. I try not to be one of them. The other solution of course, is not a stop light, but pedestrianizing the street.
Great "editorial". We all need to be reminded that we are sharing the streets of Noe Valley. Courtesy from walkers and bicyclists and drivers all goes a long way to moving traffic along and keeping things enjoyable for everyone.
Stroller moms should use hand signals when moving thru the 24th st. sidewalks.
One more thing to stroller moms; Please, Please, when you bend down to get something out of the back of your Volvo stroller, or check on the baby, I do not wanna see your butt-crack.
Yeah, I don't want to see anyone's butt-crack, even if you are a hot nanny. I would like to add to that comment that if you need to get something out of your car it is always safer to use the door on the passenger side of the car. Too many times I see people totally immersed in getting whatever it is they need out of the driver's side and they are oblivious to the fact that there are cars driving by. I actually saw a woman's car door get taken off because of this and she was lucky to have just barely gotten out of the way or she would have been seriously injured, if not killed. Another time I actually stopped and told a woman that I had nearly hit her as she was taking her baby out of the backseat. She had no idea I was there and was very thankful that I gave her a friendly talking to and assured me she would always take the baby out from the other side from then on. Lastly, I think there should be a law against talking on the phone while pushing a stroller. Just as in a car, talking on the phone distracts you from everything else going on around you. This may be why I see so many mothers and nannies walking on the red light while pushing a stroller and talking on the phone. If you need to talk, "pull over" on the sidewalk to do so, just as you would (or should because it's the law) pull over to talk on the phone in a car. That child depends on you to protect him/her and if you are distracted in any way while crossing the street, you are putting their life at risk.
I totally am confused and surprised by this pedestrian rant from what I thought was a progressive city. If you drive in a city, be prepared for traffic, pedestrians, bikers, and the like. If people WALKING of all things bothers you, don't drive on 24th street, take public transportation, or live in the suburbs. I find this whole conversation really disturbing, and it frankly feels very mean-spirited to me.
24th Street is a very busy stretch. I was making a turn at Sanchez and 24th one day. Came to a full stop, scanned around a million times to make sure no one was in the crosswalk, started making the turn,and the next thing I knew, I was stopping short so I wouldn't hit a mother with her young son who had dashed into the crosswalk. She threw up her arms in anger that I was there and then dragged her son across the street. I wasn't sure what the hostility was about, as it was me who had to jam my brakes. But I guessed that she was not having a good day, was in a rush, and would have run someone over herself had she been driving. We all need to work together to be safe. :)
Double AMEN. I do not know what it is about 24th but the walkers are tough. So agree with this post. I hit this a lot as I am trying to cross 24th. It is especially tough in the winter when it is so dark (though walkers do not seem to realize that).
I used to live in Nob Hill, then Russian Hill, then Inner Richmond and by far Noe is the worst. Folks there actually stop to look. I don't even blame the mom's as mostly I do see them stop. I blame the young man/woman who is rushing to BART.
Here's a suggestion that I am now following: if the car was there way before me, I wait. If there is a group of folks crossing just before or after me, I'll synch with them. Pretty easy.
btw, i'm a huge fan of walking and part of the reason I live in the city, but it's just a different (and not good) vibe here in Noe than in other parts of the city.
folks stop to look in Nob/Russian/etc... because we have better drivers than they do. If you acted in those neighborhoods as obliviously as we apparently do here, you go to the morgue.
If there are too many cars, a traffic light would be the best solution. That's what transportation engineers do to fix this problem. Why not!? Seriously, too many cars, people. Pedestrians and cars don't mix.
I lived smack dab in the heart of 24th Street at Noe. It is a tough street to navigate as a pedestrian much less if you are driving. I would alway avoid it during the weekends knowing how busy it was. The worst is when I was trying to safely come out of my driveway that is next to Just For Fun so many people would see my car peaking out and wouldn't care and just continue to go around. The worst were the people who felt our driveway was ok to park in so they could run to the bank or into Starbucks. I got to a point where I would have eggs and just toss them on the window of the car. Ooops!
Can I ask all drivers in Noe to please STOP at stop signs as the law demands? I am pro pedestrian and pro car as well, but I have almost been run over dozens of times in the morning by cars that don't even bother to do a rolling stop at stop signs. That's against the law and dangerous. I wish I had a faster camera so I could snap shots of the license plates of every car that ignored stop signs.
I would like to assert a related but different point: most people are self-involved, irresponsible, and disrespectful. I drive. I walk. I'm a mother. And from this blog it seems I'm likely hated by every single commenter here for at least one of these reasons. I am not a saint nor do I believe myself to be without fault. Still, the problem is not mothers or drivers or pedestrians. The problem is disrespect. I hope that while we are considering what is best for ourselves we are also considering at least one other person on the planet, hopefully the boy in the crosswalk in front of us being an ass but maybe not quite enough of an ass to be killed today.
I didn't know we could rate pedestrians by neighborhood on Yelp. Is Noe Valley the first? Are we the worst? What up with that?
In any event, this blog sometimes seems like the repository for the Noe Valley Bureau of Complaints; and, maybe a neighborhood "suggestion box!" It shouldn't be a dumping ground for disrespect. Show some love, Noe Valley.
Happy Holidays to all of you, whoever and wherever you may be.
I love this post. I live in Noe. I wait my turn as a pedestrian only to have a fellow pedestrian dash into the street without looking. I love my walking neighborhood but in this case I think the yelper has it right: many entitled pedestrians forget that they are actually living in a densely populated area.
One star, FWIW:
Amen.
ReplyDeleteI'm using 24th as a driver, as a pedestrian, as a stroller mom. and I agree with every line of this. And yes, as a pedestrian, I WAIT FOR MY TURN, specially when I have my kids with me who need to learn that pedestrians STOP, LOOK, LISTEN then and only then decide and commit to cross a street.
Why would anyone in their right mind drive on 24th street? Honestly, you deserve everything you get. Though I do concur that there are some thoughtless street crossers out there. I try not to be one of them. The other solution of course, is not a stop light, but pedestrianizing the street.
ReplyDeleteDon't you understand? This is a CITY! We drive cars wherever we want in a city. People walk in the streets in the suburbs.
ReplyDeleteGreat "editorial". We all need to be reminded that we are sharing the streets of Noe Valley. Courtesy from walkers and bicyclists and drivers all goes a long way to moving traffic along and keeping things enjoyable for everyone.
ReplyDeleteStroller moms should use hand signals when moving thru the 24th st. sidewalks.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing to stroller moms; Please, Please, when you bend down to get something out of the back of your Volvo stroller, or check on the baby, I do not wanna see your butt-crack.
Yeah, I don't want to see anyone's butt-crack, even if you are a hot nanny. I would like to add to that comment that if you need to get something out of your car it is always safer to use the door on the passenger side of the car. Too many times I see people totally immersed in getting whatever it is they need out of the driver's side and they are oblivious to the fact that there are cars driving by. I actually saw a woman's car door get taken off because of this and she was lucky to have just barely gotten out of the way or she would have been seriously injured, if not killed. Another time I actually stopped and told a woman that I had nearly hit her as she was taking her baby out of the backseat. She had no idea I was there and was very thankful that I gave her a friendly talking to and assured me she would always take the baby out from the other side from then on.
ReplyDeleteLastly, I think there should be a law against talking on the phone while pushing a stroller. Just as in a car, talking on the phone distracts you from everything else going on around you. This may be why I see so many mothers and nannies walking on the red light while pushing a stroller and talking on the phone. If you need to talk, "pull over" on the sidewalk to do so, just as you would (or should because it's the law) pull over to talk on the phone in a car. That child depends on you to protect him/her and if you are distracted in any way while crossing the street, you are putting their life at risk.
I totally am confused and surprised by this pedestrian rant from what I thought was a progressive city. If you drive in a city, be prepared for traffic, pedestrians, bikers, and the like. If people WALKING of all things bothers you, don't drive on 24th street, take public transportation, or live in the suburbs. I find this whole conversation really disturbing, and it frankly feels very mean-spirited to me.
ReplyDelete24th Street is a very busy stretch. I was making a turn at Sanchez and 24th one day. Came to a full stop, scanned around a million times to make sure no one was in the crosswalk, started making the turn,and the next thing I knew, I was stopping short so I wouldn't hit a mother with her young son who had dashed into the crosswalk. She threw up her arms in anger that I was there and then dragged her son across the street.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure what the hostility was about, as it was me who had to jam my brakes. But I guessed that she was not having a good day, was in a rush, and would have run someone over herself had she been driving. We all need to work together to be safe. :)
Double AMEN.
ReplyDeleteI do not know what it is about 24th but the walkers are tough. So agree with this post. I hit this a lot as I am trying to cross 24th. It is especially tough in the winter when it is so dark (though walkers do not seem to realize that).
I used to live in Nob Hill, then Russian Hill, then Inner Richmond and by far Noe is the worst. Folks there actually stop to look.
I don't even blame the mom's as mostly I do see them stop. I blame the young man/woman who is rushing to BART.
Here's a suggestion that I am now following: if the car was there way before me, I wait. If there is a group of folks crossing just before or after me, I'll synch with them. Pretty easy.
btw, i'm a huge fan of walking and part of the reason I live in the city, but it's just a different (and not good) vibe here in Noe than in other parts of the city.
folks stop to look in Nob/Russian/etc... because we have better drivers than they do. If you acted in those neighborhoods as obliviously as we apparently do here, you go to the morgue.
ReplyDeleteAny driver who uses 24th Street and is in a hurry is a fool or a tourist. It's easy to avoid, I mean really!
ReplyDeleteIf there are too many cars, a traffic light would be the best solution. That's what transportation engineers do to fix this problem. Why not!? Seriously, too many cars, people. Pedestrians and cars don't mix.
ReplyDeleteBill, not talking about driving along 24th (that's crazy), but just *crossing* it.
ReplyDeleteI lived smack dab in the heart of 24th Street at Noe. It is a tough street to navigate as a pedestrian much less if you are driving. I would alway avoid it during the weekends knowing how busy it was. The worst is when I was trying to safely come out of my driveway that is next to Just For Fun so many people would see my car peaking out and wouldn't care and just continue to go around. The worst were the people who felt our driveway was ok to park in so they could run to the bank or into Starbucks. I got to a point where I would have eggs and just toss them on the window of the car. Ooops!
ReplyDeleteCan I ask all drivers in Noe to please STOP at stop signs as the law demands? I am pro pedestrian and pro car as well, but I have almost been run over dozens of times in the morning by cars that don't even bother to do a rolling stop at stop signs. That's against the law and dangerous. I wish I had a faster camera so I could snap shots of the license plates of every car that ignored stop signs.
ReplyDeleteI would like to assert a related but different point: most people are self-involved, irresponsible, and disrespectful. I drive. I walk. I'm a mother. And from this blog it seems I'm likely hated by every single commenter here for at least one of these reasons. I am not a saint nor do I believe myself to be without fault. Still, the problem is not mothers or drivers or pedestrians. The problem is disrespect. I hope that while we are considering what is best for ourselves we are also considering at least one other person on the planet, hopefully the boy in the crosswalk in front of us being an ass but maybe not quite enough of an ass to be killed today.
ReplyDeleteRight on the button, Anan Mom 9:08p.m..
ReplyDeleteI didn't know we could rate pedestrians by neighborhood on Yelp. Is Noe Valley the first? Are we the worst? What up with that?
In any event, this blog sometimes seems like the repository for the Noe Valley Bureau of Complaints; and, maybe a neighborhood "suggestion
box!" It shouldn't be a dumping ground for disrespect. Show some love, Noe Valley.
Happy Holidays to all of you, whoever and wherever you may be.
I love this post. I live in Noe. I wait my turn as a pedestrian only to have a fellow pedestrian dash into the street without looking. I love my walking neighborhood but in this case I think the yelper has it right: many entitled pedestrians forget that they are actually living in a densely populated area.
ReplyDelete