Pedestrian Shaming in Charlotte

[RANYC]

On 5/13/2020 at 5:09 PM, nicholas said:

Regarding complete streets...I still do not understand why bicycle lanes share the road with cars.  Take University City Blvd as an example; it is a recently-built boulevard with a 35 mph speed limit, bike lanes incorporated into the roadway, and sidewalks separated from the roadway with trees.  This approach is being replicated on the Graham St/Mallard Creek Rd extension, as well as tons of other road projects around the area.  I see some people using the sidewalks (not a lot, but some), but outside of uptown I don't think I have ever seen a cyclist using bike lanes anywhere.  Personally I would be pretty hesitant to use them myself, as there is nothing separating cars from cyclists (other than some meaningless lane paint), and the wide lanes encourage speeding by drivers.

What I don't understand is why the following scenario isn't considered (not a perfect illustration, just something I threw together in Paint in about five minutes).  The bike lanes are adjacent to the sidewalks INSTEAD of the roadway, and both the sidewalks and bike lanes are separated from the roadway by trees.  The bike lane on the south side is for eastbound cyclists only, and the bike lane on the north side is for westbound cyclists only.  Since the bike lanes aren't part of the roadway, it can be narrowed to how wide it would be without bicycle lanes, and the width of the bike lanes would be added next to the sidewalks instead.  No additional ROW would be required, relatively little additional construction would be needed, and in more urban areas, there would be no risk of bike lanes being blocked by illegally parked cars, UPS trucks, etc.  Plus the cyclists would feel safer.  It doesn't even have to be separate sidewalks/bike lanes, it could just be wider sidewalks with dividers or even just paint to separate the pedestrian path from the bike path.

I share these exact sentiments.  In fact, the unprotected bike lane appears to widen the perceived black-top roadway space, seemingly encouraging even more speed.  Why not do away with these unprotected bike lanes, and instead, take the savings and put toward some sort of equivalent greenway extension/expansion.  If I want to get from point A to point B via cycle path, there's nothing that says that path has to parallel or even shadow the route I'd take in a car.  Speaking of our envisioned 300+ mile greenway system, it would be great to GPS that, so when you're wanting to leave home for somewhere via bike, you can get a route that allows you to take Greenway as much of the way as possible.   Need a separate app for way to securely store your bike while at the destination.

Edited March 28, 2021 by RANYC

[Cassman]

On 3/28/2021 at 6:27 PM, RANYC said:

Need a separate app for way to securely store your bike while at the destination.

Agree with this so strongly.  I have used the app "Bike Parking" to pin and take pictures of available bike parking -- it's a very simple app that crowd sources info from users.  It doesn't integrate with GPS or directions, but it could still provide a very valuable service -- cutting down on the time spent making progressively larger concentric circles hunting for a suitable place to lock up is a worthwhile goal in my estimation.  Unfortunately, it crowd sources, and I think I may be the only member of the crowd, for now.  So, I strongly recommend somebody out there start using it too!  Let's build this database!

[kermit]

South and Tremont.

(Skid-marks on sidewalk in background)

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by kermit

[jjwilli]

3 hours ago, kermit said:

South and Tremont.

(Skid-marks on sidewalk in background)

 

I guess this explains why South Blvd was closed at Tremont this morning.

[kermit]

Beg button at East and South (church corner).

This was taken on my way home from Divine Barrel where I had to walk from Sugar Creek station in N Davidson street since there was no sidewalk on either side of street.

 

Edited April 17, 2021 by kermit

[deleted account]

Fun story from yesterday evening:

On my regular 5 mile run around the city at ~7pm. Waited at intersection of 11th and N Poplar until I get my white man to cross. Halfway through intersection when a big lifted truck coming fast off 277 literally almost took me out. I slammed the side of the truck with my palm and the driver stopped and put his window down. He thought he hit me and apologized BUT said he had a green light and the right of way. I called him an asshole and explained that vehicles turning do not have the ROW and never have the right to run over pedestrians. He apologized again and drove off. Clearly, part of the issue with the awful driving is just ignorance, stupidity and selfishness. 

[davidclt]

Interesting campaign in Quebec.

 

 

1 minute ago, davidclt said:

Interesting campaign in Quebec.

 

 

Andre Delamare on Twitter: "Holy crap Quebecs anti-jaywalking billboards don't fudge around https://t.co/ouKyNTPtk9" / Twitter

[JRCLT]

Interesting campaign in Quebec.
 

Dang… So does that mean I should stop crossing the street like I own the road? (Just at crosswalks then.)

[videtur quam contuor]

That public message is in English 

[KJHburg]

Saw this on University City Blvd while walking over the Toby Creek Greenway this is on NC 49.  this needs to be replaced for safety.  Also when some one plows something like this over if the vehicle owner is identified does their insurance pay for it??  This was in the middle of NC 49 on the pedestrian island.

[nicholas]

2 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Saw this on University City Blvd while walking over the Toby Creek Greenway this is on NC 49.  this needs to be replaced for safety.  Also when some one plows something like this over if the vehicle owner is identified does their insurance pay for it??  This was in the middle of NC 49 on the pedestrian island.

That has also happened on Graham at I think Trade St (where the bus driver was shot) and Mint St (near the digital tree).  Both have been down for a minute now no sign of replacements.  The joys of driving on Graham St...

Edited March 11, 2022 by nicholas

[kermit]

While not technically a pedestrian CMPD continues to promote car culture: the CMPD news release says “train struck vehicle” when a) trains run on a fixed and protected guideway, trains can't swerve or act erratically and b) the auto went around crossing gates. The tweet is also written to suggest that the car made the decision to go around the gates when it was clearly the sentient driver who made that decision.  I don’t want to play high school English teacher but how about “driver went around crossing arms and the car was subsequently struck by train”? While this kind of thing is subtle, it does a lot to promote car culture (steering a one ton deadly weapon into a train carrying 100 people was was "only an accident") and make transit look bad to folks who don't know any better.

 

Edited March 15, 2022 by kermit

[Matthew.Brendan]

Stupid train should have yielded to the car, duh.

I really hope the drivers license gets suspended for X time for doing something like that. I doubt it however. Maybe a fine? lol

Edited March 15, 2022 by Matthew.Brendan
#carbrain

[JRCLT]

People are not always bright…giving them a metal box on wheels that can go really fast without proper training is a not so “bright” idea.

[kayman]

This why I've advocated for total grade separation of light rail transit here. Yes, that means retrofitting and total removal all at-grade roadway intersections along the LYNX Blue Line. I'm in the room on the LYNX Silver Line discussions . I have told them to remove all at-grade roadway crossings with even local streets and driveways. 

There are too many impatient and bad drivers here for that type of rail and road at-grade interactions. The risk reduction is worth the costs associated with these grade-separations for this essential travel mode.

Edited March 16, 2022 by kayman

[kermit]

[JRCLT]

http://content.invisioncic.com/x329420/monthly_2022_04/A93126B3-C40C-4F48-BA2D-24DC38243B48.thumb.jpeg.c1d15e2f1d185f6c1ee871c0c354f7d2.jpeg

South BLVD make it an actual blvd?

[Matthew.Brendan]

https://v.redd.it/b5pz3nsajbs81
 

Maybe we can just do this? That seems reasonable. 

[JRCLT]

https://v.redd.it/b5pz3nsajbs81
 
Maybe we can just do this? That seems reasonable. 

LOL

[kermit]

10 minutes ago, Matthew.Brendan said:

https://v.redd.it/b5pz3nsajbs81
 

Maybe we can just do this? That seems reasonable. 

Bricks would be more effective than flags.

[deleted account]

17 hours ago, Matthew.Brendan said:

https://v.redd.it/b5pz3nsajbs81
 

Maybe we can just do this? That seems reasonable. 

This is already done in Waxhaw (or it was in the recent past). There is a bucket of flags on both sides of a crossing in downtown, leading to and from a pedestrian bridge over the train tracks. 

Edited April 10, 2022 by JBS

[davidclt]

18 hours ago, kermit said:

Bricks would be more effective than flags.

I think drivers might not like bricks being thrown at their cars/trucks/SUVs but whatever works?

[kermit]

On 4/10/2022 at 4:13 PM, davidclt said:

I think drivers might not like bricks being thrown at their cars/trucks/SUVs but whatever works?

I was feeling a bit militant this afternoon and was thinking about this (bear with me, I am not sure where this is gonna end up). I am sure that drivers would prefer to not have bricks thrown through their windshields but, to be fair, I would prefer not to be spread onto South blvd like room-temperature margarine.

/rant/

Seems like, if cars are illegally moving through a crosswalk that you have the right of way in as a pedestrian then they are threatening your life (aren't they?). If you fear for your life then you have a right to self-defense (do you not?). I think a brick would be a handy tool for this job (and probably better at penetrating a windshield than a small calibre handgun at an oblique angle).

Maintaining a pile of throwing bricks at each crosswalk might not be something American cities are ready for yet (but they really would be more useful than those stupid flags). Perhaps as an alternative pedestrians should start to carry a throwing brick in a holster. My reading of the constitution says I am within my rights to carry a brick ('well regulated militia" and all that) so that I can use it for self-defense.  Might be nice to have an organization like  the NTBA (National Throwing Brick Association) which would have the job of protecting the rights of pedestrians to carry bricks and to throw them at cars as a means of self-defense or to enable you to 'stand your ground' as a pedestrian.

I suppose there may be a slight risk of my brick injuring a passenger in the offending vehicle, but it would surely just be an 'accident' if the brick thrower didn't see the passenger before throwing ('they just came out of nowhere'). If they weren't wearing bright colors to protect themselves from stray bricks then its kinda their fault for getting hit anyway.

I am sure there will be responses to this along the lines of "throwing bricks at BMWs is just a good way to get shot" and that is no doubt true, but the driver of the bricked car has already threatened to kill me once with their 2-ton weapon, so  I'll feel a satisfying sense of justice before they do anything unjustifiable to me (I was just defending myself). And honestly, in this situation (standing in the middle of South blvd) does an additional threat to my life really matter?

So anyway, if every pedestrian carried a throwing brick, drivers would be much more polite and careful around pedestrians. Pedestrians should all be encouraged to carry throwing bricks so they can protect little old ladies and children who may not be able to get enough velocity on their throws to protect themselves.

Let me know if you would like to become a charter member of the NTBA.

/rant/

Alternatively we can collectively call for CMPD to better enforce the pedestrian protection laws that are already on the books -- if they could be relied on to do that then pedestrians would not need bricks to defend themselves.

[not really sure if this should be blue text or not]

Edited April 11, 2022 by kermit

[kermit]

and in a follow up to Friday's post about the sign at Poindexter. CDOT must have really been embarrassed if they pulled the sign down over the weekend. But meanwhile the problem has not been solved...

Edited April 11, 2022 by kermit

[CLTranspo]

@kermitI can’t express how much I love this idea! Lol I have often wished there was a tool invented … maybe kind of like pepper spray … that people could carry and would only have to reveal to force others, in this case vehicles, to slow down and reevaluate the situation. Maybe some kind of expanding metal stick that would scratch a car’s hood if a button was pressed, but would keep the pedestrian out of harm’s way. In lieu of this uninvented tool, I will sometimes carry an umbrella with a huge wooden handle and swing it haphazardly like I might be crazy when I’m attempting to cross a fearsome crosswalk. Lol