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Honolulu has become the first major city to enact a ban on crossing streets while glued to your smartphone/watch/whatever.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/reading-this-while-walking-in-honolulu-it-could-cost-you/ar-AAtXfmw?li=AA4Zoy&ocid=spartanntp

It's about damned time. Normally, you'd think I'd come down on the libertarian side of things but walking while texting/viewing/etc. is getting to be a public safety issue even up here in the Pacific Northwest. Depending on results and possible court challenges, I expect similar laws to begin popping up all over the country and eventually other nations, too.

Personally, I think $25 is a bit low. Let's be honest, people can't even walk down the sidewalk with these damned things without being a public menace.

I don't know if it's a concern elsewhere, but there's a significant amount of people around here who just walk in goddamned road. Like, in spite of a sidewalk existing, they'll just be there, in the street, walking down it.

I wish someone would go after those people.

Very much related, I was just reading this article the other day:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-17/smartphones-are-killing-americans-but-nobody-s-counting

I had no idea that traffic fatalities jumped so high in the past few years.

 nels1031 wrote:
Very much related, I was just reading this article the other day:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-17/smartphones-are-killing-americans-but-nobody-s-counting

I had no idea that traffic fatalities jumped so high in the past few years.

Just based on the years they picked as proof for the "significant rise" made me close the tab in my browser. Bad statistics are bad.

 daedalus wrote:
I don't know if it's a concern elsewhere, but there's a significant amount of people around here who just walk in goddamned road. Like, in spite of a sidewalk existing, they'll just be there, in the street, walking down it.

I wish someone would go after those people.

For cyclists too. And that is coming from a person who biked as a means of transport for over 10 years with no car. It is SOOO much safer on the side walk, so use it

And people worrying about pedestrians being in danger of a cyclist, think about it this way: If I hit a pedestrian on my bike, we both might get hurt, but probably walk away. If a car hits me on a bike, I'm likely VERY injured or dead.

Also, can we ticket people who are on their phone while dinning with friends/family? Seriously BE with the people you are with!

 Breotan wrote:
Honolulu has become the first major city to enact a ban on crossing streets while glued to your smartphone/watch/whatever.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/reading-this-while-walking-in-honolulu-it-could-cost-you/ar-AAtXfmw?li=AA4Zoy&ocid=spartanntp

It's about damned time. Normally, you'd think I'd come down on the libertarian side of things but walking while texting/viewing/etc. is getting to be a public safety issue even up here in the Pacific Northwest. Depending on results and possible court challenges, I expect similar laws to begin popping up all over the country and eventually other nations, too.

Personally, I think $25 is a bit low. Let's be honest, people can't even walk down the sidewalk with these damned things without being a public menace.

We had somebody hit by a car about three years ago in a nearby town. They were riding a damned bicycle across the street, at an intersection, while checking their Farcebook on their phone. And, of course, they didn't notice the green light and resulting motor vehicle traffic. The dumb bastard tried to sue the driver that hit them, but that didn't wash with the judge that heard the civil case. The court ruled in favor of the driver.

About six months ago, I nearly plowed a pack of teenage girls with my X5 at a pedestrian crossing, on a green light. Everyone of them were focused on their phones and jabbering with each other.

Focusing on a mobile device while strolling in public, near streets and roads, is just as dangerous as playing with said devices while driving. I'm glad that at least one jurisdiction is taking the appropriate steps to dealing with these idiots.

I'm okay with this, but honestly I'd prefer for a more general policy of "stop acting like being a pedestrian makes you GOD of the road." I hate it when pedestrians just wander into the road, phone or not, and don't even look. Don't pay any attention at all, no matter how crowded the street is or how impossible it might be for a driver to even notice that someone is entering the roadway. The number of people I see who are completely unaware and could get seriously injured or killed for it is disturbing.

I look both ways three times before crossing a road, and I keep doing it till I'm on the other side because I like my legs. Those puppies get trashed and there's no way I can pull off my dukes!

Yeah right!!

As if Americans walk anywhere!

I mean, and if they're outside of the crosswalk, it should be legal to hit them? But sure, eat what you catch and all, fair's fair, right? Right?

 daedalus wrote:
I mean, and if they're outside of the crosswalk, it should be legal to hit them? But sure, eat what you catch and all, fair's fair, right? Right?

It definitely shouldn't be legal, but I think it's unrealistic to lay full blame on drivers as we do, when reckless behavior on part of a pedestrian can be very mitigating on anything happening at all. Most certainly I think the cops should be on the lookout for people crossing recklessly and ticketing that, but I've seen cops just drive by after someone does something stupid when they could have tossed jaywalking at them.

 LordofHats wrote:

 daedalus wrote:
I mean, and if they're outside of the crosswalk, it should be legal to hit them? But sure, eat what you catch and all, fair's fair, right? Right?

It definitely shouldn't be legal, but I think it's unrealistic to lay full blame on drivers as we do, when reckless behavior on part of a pedestrian can be very mitigating on anything happening at all. Most certainly I think the cops should be on the lookout for people crossing recklessly and ticketing that, but I've seen cops just drive by after someone does something stupid when they could have tossed jaywalking at them.

What about the people that walk across the lane in a parking lot, but they cross it at a 37 degree angle instead of just crossing it at a 90 degree angle which takes three times as long as it should take?

I don't care what angle you walk at as long as you cross quickly. I loath people who decided the middle of the road is a great place to have a conversation. Wasting my time and being idiots all at once

The amount of people that have nearly ended up underneath my motorcycle because they didn't bother looking up is astonishing. Like an almost daily basis.


Nothing makes them cross the road faster than revving the engine up to the red line when I'm a foot or two away from them. It's louder than the bloody horn.

 LordofHats wrote:
I don't care what angle you walk at as long as you cross quickly. I loath people who decided the middle of the road is a great place to have a conversation. Wasting my time and being idiots all at once

They are up there with the people that step of an escalator and just stop right there.

 d-usa wrote:

 LordofHats wrote:
I don't care what angle you walk at as long as you cross quickly. I loath people who decided the middle of the road is a great place to have a conversation. Wasting my time and being idiots all at once

They are up there with the people that step of an escalator and just stop right there.

Yes. feth them too. And the people who treat a narrow hallway, the door into the room, and the check out line at the store as a social gathering place. Tickets for everyone!

 notprop wrote:
Yeah right!!

As if Americans walk anywhere!

Well its Hnonolulu

Its pretty compact

No issues with this. ether that or let nature take its course.

Finally, we can agree on something, D!

 LordofHats wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

 LordofHats wrote:
I don't care what angle you walk at as long as you cross quickly. I loath people who decided the middle of the road is a great place to have a conversation. Wasting my time and being idiots all at once

They are up there with the people that step of an escalator and just stop right there.

Yes. feth them too. And the people who treat a narrow hallway, the door into the room, and the check out line at the store as a social gathering place. Tickets for everyone!

I use to get really mad at all these behaviors, until I realized that at some point in my life I probably did it too. Now, I am much more forgiving and do not get mad as I forcibly barge past them.

I'm so glad we managed to get all the robberies, shootings and violent crimes down so we can focus on the small things. *Dodges bullets fired by local narcotics gang*

I mean, its not like we need all this police power on anything important any more

*steps over domestic abuse victim*

Yep. Definitely need to bring a new focus to attention based crimes.

*watches a drunk driver crash into the sunset*

 LordofHats wrote:

 daedalus wrote:
I mean, and if they're outside of the crosswalk, it should be legal to hit them? But sure, eat what you catch and all, fair's fair, right? Right?

It definitely shouldn't be legal, but I think it's unrealistic to lay full blame on drivers as we do, when reckless behavior on part of a pedestrian can be very mitigating on anything happening at all. Most certainly I think the cops should be on the lookout for people crossing recklessly and ticketing that, but I've seen cops just drive by after someone does something stupid when they could have tossed jaywalking at them.

Drivers carry greater responsibility than pedestrians because they're the ones who can effortlessly kill the latter by simply not paying attention.

Rosebuddy wrote:

 LordofHats wrote:

 daedalus wrote:
I mean, and if they're outside of the crosswalk, it should be legal to hit them? But sure, eat what you catch and all, fair's fair, right? Right?

It definitely shouldn't be legal, but I think it's unrealistic to lay full blame on drivers as we do, when reckless behavior on part of a pedestrian can be very mitigating on anything happening at all. Most certainly I think the cops should be on the lookout for people crossing recklessly and ticketing that, but I've seen cops just drive by after someone does something stupid when they could have tossed jaywalking at them.

Drivers carry greater responsibility than pedestrians because they're the ones who can effortlessly kill the latter by simply not paying attention.

When someone watching a screen walks into a street in front of a car, it is unfair to blame the driver of the car.

It's bad enough being another pedestrian when on the town and people are zombified by their media, they end up anywhere, and as many also wear headphones for the full media effect and tgus not only don't look where they are going or otherwise bother with their surroundings but they don;'t hear gak either.
A proportion can be menace enough when stationary or dawdling, seem prams and mobility scooters gridlocked by media zombies with headphones more than once.

Rosebuddy wrote:

 LordofHats wrote:

 daedalus wrote:
I mean, and if they're outside of the crosswalk, it should be legal to hit them? But sure, eat what you catch and all, fair's fair, right? Right?

It definitely shouldn't be legal, but I think it's unrealistic to lay full blame on drivers as we do, when reckless behavior on part of a pedestrian can be very mitigating on anything happening at all. Most certainly I think the cops should be on the lookout for people crossing recklessly and ticketing that, but I've seen cops just drive by after someone does something stupid when they could have tossed jaywalking at them.

Drivers carry greater responsibility than pedestrians because they're the ones who can effortlessly kill the latter by simply not paying attention.

And they should bear greater responsibility, but that doesn't mean we ignore that Jack Attentionless walked into a narrow roadway between two parked trucks without looking giving the driver only three seconds to react at 45 mph. I saw this exact thing happen in Carlisle, PA and Jack Attentionless got slammed into the ground because that's a really narrow window to stop at that speed. The historic district has very narrow roads with parking on either side. Lots of vans and large trucks and pedestrians can slip onto the road between them with no way for you to even know their there until their already in the roadway. You can pay all the attention in the world as a driver and the right set of circumstances can still get someone killed or injured through no fault of your own.

As a cyclist I am somewhat annoyed by people wearing headphones who can't hear my ding-dong bell announcing my arrival.

This is a hazard in Oxford because there's a lot of cycles and pedestrians sharing the battlespace.

I haven't crashed into anyone yet, which is good news since my bike is 25 kilos of British Steel propelled by a 105 kilo engine on top of it.

 LordofHats wrote:
I don't care what angle you walk at as long as you cross quickly. I loath people who decided the middle of the road is a great place to have a conversation. Wasting my time and being idiots all at once

We have a lot of people in the area that will stop in the middle of the road, in their vehicles, and talk to each other. Not just a few words like "Hey, head to that parking lot I need to talk to you." Nothing like that. Full conversations. I am usually pretty understanding. People are stupid, they do stupid things like this. If I come to a complete stop, I am going to be annoyed. If I have to wait longer than a minute, I am going to make you try to have a conversation over the sound of my blaring horn. If you ignore it, I am going to try to play songs with my horn. The annoying ones. Like "I like to move it move it. I like to move it move it. I like to, move it!



Edit: Slightly different scenario I know, but holy crap is this annoying and at times pretty dangerous.

 Dreadwinter wrote:
The annoying ones. Like "I like to move it move it. I like to move it move it. I like to, move it!

I am going to turn around right now an burn that song onto a CD. It will be the only song on the CD, and I will save it for these moments.