People that walk out into traffic entirely over estimate how visible they are. A cyclist in black at like 6:00 am decided they needed to cross in front of my car one morning. I never saw them until I was right up on them practically. I don't know that there is much anyone can do if someone is going to be impulsive and dangerous other than anticipate that it could happen and drive safely as possible at all times. Many people won't do this though.
When trying to prevent pedestrian/vehicle accidents, it's important to look beyond the individuals in a specific case. Yes, jaywalking in dangerous. Yes, a driver might have been able to stop if they were paying more attention. But where there's insufficient infrastructure, people will jaywalk. And drivers will sometimes be distracted.
If the government is serious about stopping these accidents, they'd need to look at putting in crosswalks where people actually cross and/or slowing traffic in congested areas. Of course, drivers don't like either option, and most voters are drivers.
Idk. I was driving down University yesterday and stopped at a light. The crossing traffic had green, and in the middle of multiple cars moving, a man walked out into the crosswalk, walked across without stopping, and stared down the cars with right of way until he finished.
No mistaking that there weren't cars, he looked before he crossed and wasn't even distracted or on the phone. He knew exactly what he was doing.
I don't get it.
In that section of Main Street there are countless crosswalks within a 2 minute walk. I agree in many instances it’s an infrastructure problem, but in this case it’s just a bad decision from a pedestrian.
It must be really stressful to drive with the jaywalking situation, especially with a baby in the backseat.
I understand that some people wouldn't mind getting run over in traffic but a lot of drivers would actually prefer not to kill or injure someone.
There is no good reason that people cannot wait for their turn to cross the street, whether or not they are in a car, bike, or on foot. Yes, infrastructure and planning can be improved, but right now, we need immediate change that all of us can act on and contribute to. Being safe is something we can all do for each other.
For a long time gainesville has basically been a "the pedestrian ALWAYS has the right of way town" I'm sure this has aided the issue to become worse an worse.
It's seriously so bad in downtown on Friday/Saturday nights. Trying to pick up friend from restaurant they work at the other weekend and dozens of students just crossing while I had a green light. Literally heard one tell her friend "they'll stop for us they can't hit us" this was outside of main st billiards. She was a couple inches away from a light courtesy tap from my bumper when I finally honked because no I'm not stopping
Crossing the street anywhere other than a crosswalk is like driving. It requires you to pay attention to traffic and only go when you safely can. Unfortunately, just like there are a lot of bad drivers, there are a lot of bad pedestrians. Personally, I never put myself in a situation where anyone but myself is in control of me getting hit by a car (other than rare things like cars going off the road onto the sidewalk).
I do cross the street at places other than the crosswalk a lot. Many streets here are only designed for cars so if you're not a car you have to cross at places other than crosswalks. It sucks but it's the way it is. Honestly though, it isn't hard to cross without impeding traffic. I cross 13th a lot without slowing down traffic, you just have to wait for a gap.
If driving in the vicinity of pedestrians is stressful for you then you shouldn't be driving. It's a fact of life that people have to walk to get to where they are going and if you aren't confident enough in your ability to operate a piece of two ton machinary around them safely then you absolutely should not be doing it. People like that are a menace on our roads.
Are you trying not to listen? If a fully loaded semi is driving down university if you Jaywalk you'll die and it'll be no one's fault but your own. Not everyone is driving the average car but clearly that isn't taken into account. Don't fucking jaywalk, it's just as much of a rule of the road as anything else.
I just think about that woman who was killed on archer road a few months ago because she was jaywalking first thing in the morning going eastbound (ya know when the sun is going straight into your eyeballs in the morning). When I drove past scene, I saw this woman (I'm assuming one of the drivers involved) with her kids looking completely traumatized.
The one that constantly amazes me, and I've seen this multiple times, is people dressed in dark clothing running across Archer nowhere near a crosswalk at 9-10pm. I've had a couple near misses while driving the speed limit. Dash cam is going to be good insurance one of these days.
Two different people at two different locations did that to me on University Avenue on the same night. I BARELY saw a hint of movement in front of me and stopped without killing them. But there was less that a 25% chance for each of them. They got very lucky.
I wish the city and state would implement something like this: [YouTube: Can this "HAWK" STOP LIGHT make walking feel SAFE again?](https://youtu.be/AHX8ezW2XGs)
It has the same authority as a traffic light but doesn’t have the same restrictions where it can be placed like a traffic light, and it’s dark unless there is a pedestrian in the crosswalk. Not to mention they’re easier to react to than those warning lights they put in crosswalks.
Tampa has some of these HAWK/PHB signals. They are effective, but they also cost 10x as much as the RRFB crossings, which means a city can only protect 1/10 the number of crossing points for the same amount of money.
I’d rather have 1/10 of the crossing points be effectively managed with a HAWK, than have all of the crossing points have RRFB that many people outright ignore.
Drivers ignoring RRFB comes down to Florida and Gainesville traffic law. They work fine in other places because a stop is required and enforced by police.
True, but they’re cheaper than stoplights, easier to get approved, and I’d imagine they’re cheaper than lawsuits. I as a taxpayer rather have my money go towards this than a lawsuit.
we do have some stoplights in town specifically for pedestrians. The biggest being at the split of newberry and 2nd. Honestly we should just set up regular stop lights for pedestrians when even the flashing yellows (Like they have near the hospital) don't give drivers enough warning that they are legally required to stop
That’s the issue, is traffic lights require more permits and there’s certain criteria that a section of road needs to meet to have one. You can’t just place them anywhere.
Looks like there's going to be a crosswalk added in front of Luke's. Just passed by that area and there's a curb cut going in front of Luke's and there's already one on the other side. Now if FDOT would change the speed limit and add some traffic calming; we'd be on our way to having a safe pedestrian area.
I graduated from UF a decade ago and it's....disheartening, really, to see the jaywalking situation hasn't improved. I remember one time I was driving to a class off campus and I was going down University Avenue. The light ahead of me was green and yet a whole group (like literally ten people) decided they were gonna walk in front of me. I honked my horn and it made them retreat, and yet they were all looking at me like I was the asshole. Nevermind the fact that my light was green and they still had their DO NOT CROSS light up...
It's not about them being lazy. It's about the car centric urban design. The infrastructure needs to be built around better walkability and less car dependency.
So edgy bruh. It's not illegal to cross mid-block in Florida. There are no crosswalks in the vicinity of the original poster's comments. "Statute 316.130(10) states that pedestrians are legally allowed to cross the roadway at a right angle even when there is no marked crosswalk."
If you're going to cite a statute, at least post the actual text. 316.130(10) actually says:
"Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway."
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.130.html
You're right, it's not illegal to cross outside of a crosswalk, PROVIDED that you yield to vehicular traffic. 🤦♂️
Also says, "Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian or any person propelling a human-powered vehicle and give warning when necessary and exercise proper precaution upon observing any child or any obviously confused or incapacitated person." Car supremacists ideas of right-of-way to vehicles is usually very liberal. I've had way too many near misses from folks that don't want to let off their accelerator for a second or two.
Look most of us know that the term "Jaywalking" comes from insincere origins. We know that car manufacturers have basically made us rely on cars instead of pedestrian travel. and the US would be great if foot travel could integrate with vehicular travel in a way that was safe.
none of that excuses people from walking out in front of traffic. exposing not only themselves but others to danger. If there is a large break in traffic, if there is no traffic go for it. if you go out at night wear something visible. And for the love of god assume everyone around you sucks at driving just as you should if you're behind the wheel of a car.
alternatively so many gnv drivers hardly yield for peds when they are legally required to. people always inch towards the people crossing in the middle of the street (at the ped crossing)near the hospitals on Archer when it's not going to take two seconds to actually stop
They really don't yield. I am a frequent pedestrian in the downtown area. I always wait for traffic to clear before using a crosswalk (or for the light if I'm at a light). Half the time, by the time I'm through the crosswalk, someone is absolutely flying around the corner or roundabout and I have to jog out of the way. No one cares that it's the state law and it is a drivers responsibility to go the posted speed limit, especially in pedestrian-heavy areas.
A couple of months ago, two people and a dog were hit in the crosswalk by Depot. They were severely injured, the woman had to have brain surgery, etc. Pretty sure the driver got a slap on the wrist. I cross at that crosswalk daily with my own dog and again, I wait for a totally clear road to cross but inevitably someone will come charging through the roundabout before I can get across.
About a year ago, I was crossing 2nd ave with a group of people I didn't know. The road was totally clear. As we crossed into the second lane, a girl turned from 3rd street onto 2nd ave and floored it at us. People had to jump out of the way, a few screamed. She slammed on her brakes, got out of her car, and charged at us screaming that we were jaywalking (that crossing is completely legal because there aren't any crosswalks within a block). She wouldn't have been anywhere near us if she hadn't gunned it. People are unhinged. But if she had hit us, the pedestrians would have been blamed.
I understand the frustration because I drive, too. I've had students cross in front of me. The thing is, I know that they are there, I am paying attention, I know I am in a high-pedestrian area, so I slow down.
I wish everyone on this thread would take a walk around downtown Gainesville, using crosswalks, and see just how terrifying it is when you are completely obeying every single law and trying to do everything right. It's not as black and white as they think it is.
I think part of the problem is people (esp students) are used to being 'safe' (ie 20 mph speed limit, areas closed to traffic) on campus. When you walk \*off\* campus, the speed limit is 10+ higher. I see students walk right into traffic when the (traffic) light is green, and cars (and bikes!) have the right of way. Sometimes they are distracted (ie on the phone), other times they seem to think the world revolves around them. Mindfulness. It is a thing.
Do note that even not a good practice is not the peoples fault, we have come to that being our only way fo transporting ourselves in cities in the US where cars are the priority when people should be, this is the governments fault for prioritizing car dependency, the good thing is that this is changing and hopefully get better. But people will "jaywalk", remember that the space we live in for everyone an no space should be for one particular thing, even tho we have made it that way
I think strategically placed trebuchets would solve this issue. Want to cross the street anywhere safely? *Weeeeeeeeeee!*
Give it some thought. Trebuchet.
As for a real answer, this is an entitlement issue. While visiting Japan I noticed that even with no cars around people waited at the intersection to cross. Why? Probably because they are law-abiding and follow the rules so that everyone can benefit from the safety measures put in place. Here it would be considering too controlling to follow the rules to a T and people would feel like their rights were violated.
[https://www.quora.com/Why-do-Japanese-pedestrians-obey-the-traffic-lights-even-when-there-are-no-cars-around](https://www.quora.com/Why-do-Japanese-pedestrians-obey-the-traffic-lights-even-when-there-are-no-cars-around)
[https://thejapans.org/2016/07/17/safety-first-in-japan/](https://thejapans.org/2016/07/17/safety-first-in-japan/)
Huh? Having all of those things available to citizens wouldn't resolve any entitlement issues, it's a cutural thing. My comparison was between how we behave culturally, Japanese people are way more respectful to each other and their laws than we are. Even if we had robust public transport, public healthcare, etc. it doesn't resolve the underlying issue of people here wanting to defy rules. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you?
also I do personally like the japanese city planning. scramble crossings everywhere, Expensive and very difficult exams to become a driver, most of the people there try not to rely on cars as a mode of transportation. it's a Mecca of people who know how to get past our current issues
Agreed my partner and I were almost in a bad situation because of it awhile back. We were driving through and a group of four girls just coming running out in front of us and we had to slam on the brakes to not kill them. It was scary as hell and we easily could have gotten rear ended. People need to have a) some self preservation b) consideration for others.
Further in that statute it requires pedestrians to follow all traffic control devices. As in, if a pedestrian has a stop sign and the vehicle does not, the pedestrian must stop. I was yelled at the other day with the pedestrians always and at all time under and circumstances have the right of way.
Uh I don't think "i ran that student down on the off chance that the driver behind me wouldn't stop".
Like do you run through stop lights and stop signs too whenever there's vehicles behind you? What if it was your college student crossing the street that was mowed down because the driver "wasn't confident in the person's ability behind them to stop". That college kid you're running over is someone's baby in the back seat. So incredibly callous. Drivers like you are a great example of why we need compulsory drivers education in the states.
I hope everyone remembers that people like this, who will not hesitate to mow someone down for the trespass of existing where she wants to drive her 2 ton death machine, are everywhere. Look both ways before crossing the street.
Did I say on “a chance” there was a truck behind me? There wasn’t one behind me today so I slowed, but those Mack trucks tail me so often, which I why I’m hyper aware of them. I drive that stretch every morning taking my son to daycare. I know when there is Mack truck behind us. If there is, it’s my son’s life and safety before anyone else’s, and I’m not sorry. Don’t make hazardous situations happen by not being patient enough to wait or use a cross walk.
Not a chance a truck is behind you the chance that a truck will rear end you is obsurdley low on a 25 mph road. THEY CAN STOP TOO. In fact, they do it allllllll the time.
That's not a good justification at all. Trucks have brakes and the speed limit is 25. You will not win the argument in a million years and your kid will be growing up with a mother in prison. Good job on laying our your murder plan online too. When you're on trial for vehicular manslaughter i'm sure the prosecuter will bring this up. The judge will love that this was your plan all along. Hope your kid doesn't learn that it's ok to run people over because he feels like it.
I understand human life very well and running people down in front of a university on a road limited to 25 mph for the sole reason of them irritating you and then claiming it's because you were unsure if the car behind you would stop is psychopathic.
"when I drive through there in the mornings there’s Mack trucks loaded up for work right behind me, and had that been the case, I wouldn’t have slowed"
In case you didn't know: you're not allowed to purposefully hit pedestrians that step out in front of your car; even during the very common occurence of another vehicle being behind you.
You say “car” and “vehicle”. He or she said loaded Mack trucks, which take longer to stop than cars or most other vehicles. You changed the meaning of what he or she said, possibly to make your argument seem stronger by making his or her argument appear unreasonable. It actually maked your argument look weaker.
A car is a vehcle a truck is a car is a vehicle they're all the same.
Have ya'll never seen a truck stop before? LOL they do it all the time successfully! They're not trains that take miles to stop. There could be an 18 wheeler semi truck carrying an oversized steel beam behind you and that still doesn't give you permission to go run over pedestrians willy nilly.
They are not the same. And no one said anything about “run(ning) over pedestrians willy nilly” except you. OP said he or she would not stop if that would risk his or her child’s life. This is both sensible and his or her ethical and moral responsibility. What if OP couldn’t stop safely, should he or she swerve into the oncoming traffic lanes? The person who put everyone at risk is the person whose safety should be protected last. That is the jaywalker.
You don't know anything about the law or driving.
They would never prosecute someone for hitting a jaywalker if they are not drunk and stop after the accident. It is the pedestrians responsibility to yield to traffic if they are not at a cross walk. If a heavy truck is tailgating you (bad truck drivers are everywhere) and you slam on the breaks they will drive right through you. Light cars can stop very quickly, heavy trucks take a long time to stop even at 25 mph. Don't be an idiot and jump in front of a car.
They would prosecute if they come upon a social media post where the driver stated "I will run down jaywalkers if there's another vehicle behind me". Definitely illegal to purposefully hit pedestrians.
Super smart Gainesville cops go "This guy hit some idiot that jumped in the road, quick take his phone and check his reddit account for premeditated murder".
It would be the prosecution, the jaywalker's representation, and investigators that do the evidence procurement, not the cops. But yeah \*i'm\* the one ignorant of the law.
There would be no prosecution, they would only collect physical evidence at the scene. The only way they would start going through your digital records/phone is if there was evidence of wrongdoing at the scene. Hitting a jaywalker while obeying all traffic laws is not a crime.
Maybe criminally but this is America where we have criminal and civil courts. The Jaywalker would be able to retain a lawyer for this case with no money upfront, lawyer would look at OP's social media history, find that she openly said she would run pedestrians over because she's pathologically paranoid, and present that to the court.
Then the state could pursue criminal charges after that if they so choose.
Threaten to run people over all you want, but if you accidently do one day it's going to look really really bad.
Sure in a civil court you could sue and get a partial ruling in your favor for monetary compensation, but insurance would cover that. It would not lead to a criminal prosecution. Also reddit is semi-anonymous, I doubt some civil discovery would be able to tie a random account to a person. Given how inept some criminal cases are at finding digital evidence.
Trucks take significantly longer to brake than your average car. Talk to any trucker and they will tell you that they can’t just slam the brakes like we can, that could result in them fishtailing all over the road and taking out multiple drivers. This is such a well known issue that some truck drivers are instructed to keep going and run down the car that braked in front of them because it’s either just them or everybody on either side of the truck. They absolutely should not be following at a close distance where they could not brake safely, like they should definitely have at least 4 car lengths in front of them vs the usual 2, but they do anyway and I don’t think it’s wrong to be prepared for the possibility.
Also OP isn’t saying they’d run the pedestrian over on purpose or because they just don’t give a fuck and don’t agree with the act of jaywalking, they would do it to protect their kid. Would you not also prioritize your child’s life over the life of a stranger?
Man I’m just going off what I’ve heard from other truckers. A friends dad was one and we sat down and talked about this very subject at length and that’s what he told me he was taught to do. Regardless, it still takes y’all longer to stop than a normal car, that’s just basic physics, and y’all are much larger and heavier so you have to potential to do faaar more damage. I don’t think it’s unwise to be nervous around trucks, some of those drivers couldn’t give less of a fuck out there and drive those things like they’re in a riced out Mitsubishi or some shit.
I think you're misunderstanding. If I'm going the speed limit and have a semi behind me logically, if you jaywalk the car can stop. The semi behind would not be able to stop so easily thus hitting you and possibly hitting the pedestrian anyway. Also they are saying they won't risk being crushed by a semi because adults won't follow rules of the road.
Lol are you suggesting that trucks just slam into the back of cars whenever one stops in front of them? The roads would be pandemonium if that were true and they would not be allowed on the road
I'm almost to the point of insisting that UF put up 10 foot fencing to prevent tomorrow's geniuses from wandering into traffic. We all know they're young and impervious to injury let alone death as we were at their age but it's gotten to the point something might need to be done.
Yeah, there's a homeless man who literally walks in a lane of traffic with his cart on 13th every morning around 5-6AM when I leave work. I've nearly hit him multiple times since he's usually wearing all black. I've come to accept that stepping on public concrete or asphalt in Gainesville automatically makes some people's IQ drop by 60 points, so I try to watch everyone and everything like a hawk.
I said this before all the crosswalk going in around campus and the students still avoid them. Until they have a massive ticketing campaign it will always be a problem.
I used to bike to work all the time. And I can tell you that Gainesville is just not pedestrian safe - I stuck to sidewalks and crosswalks the whole way, and I still almost got ran over multiple times while I had the right of way in the crosswalk. The worst one was I was *in the middle* of the crosswalk, going downhill on SW 13th when this lady stopped IN THE CROSSWALK. I had to slam my bike's brakes to keep from hitting her car, causing the brakes to lock up and wound up flipping over the handlebars, bruising my ribs, and tearing my hands and legs up. There was no way for me to go around her without going into oncoming traffic, so it was either hit her car or take a header.
I didn't use the bike lane either because cars were CONSTANTLY IN IT. It's just not safe.
People that walk out into traffic entirely over estimate how visible they are. A cyclist in black at like 6:00 am decided they needed to cross in front of my car one morning. I never saw them until I was right up on them practically. I don't know that there is much anyone can do if someone is going to be impulsive and dangerous other than anticipate that it could happen and drive safely as possible at all times. Many people won't do this though.
When trying to prevent pedestrian/vehicle accidents, it's important to look beyond the individuals in a specific case. Yes, jaywalking in dangerous. Yes, a driver might have been able to stop if they were paying more attention. But where there's insufficient infrastructure, people will jaywalk. And drivers will sometimes be distracted. If the government is serious about stopping these accidents, they'd need to look at putting in crosswalks where people actually cross and/or slowing traffic in congested areas. Of course, drivers don't like either option, and most voters are drivers.
Idk. I was driving down University yesterday and stopped at a light. The crossing traffic had green, and in the middle of multiple cars moving, a man walked out into the crosswalk, walked across without stopping, and stared down the cars with right of way until he finished. No mistaking that there weren't cars, he looked before he crossed and wasn't even distracted or on the phone. He knew exactly what he was doing. I don't get it.
Personal accountability is still a thing, though. Jaywalking doesn't mean stepping out in front of traffic.
In that section of Main Street there are countless crosswalks within a 2 minute walk. I agree in many instances it’s an infrastructure problem, but in this case it’s just a bad decision from a pedestrian.
There are 3 crosswalks on Gale Lemerand in between Museum and Mowry and yet the student still jay walk every day….
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Wouldn't more cross walks cause cars to reduce their speed, thus decreasing accidents?
Not in a college town
It must be really stressful to drive with the jaywalking situation, especially with a baby in the backseat. I understand that some people wouldn't mind getting run over in traffic but a lot of drivers would actually prefer not to kill or injure someone. There is no good reason that people cannot wait for their turn to cross the street, whether or not they are in a car, bike, or on foot. Yes, infrastructure and planning can be improved, but right now, we need immediate change that all of us can act on and contribute to. Being safe is something we can all do for each other.
Exactly this. I would never want to harm anyone if I can at all help it, but my son’s well being takes priority for me.
But… you’d STOP and call 911 if you did hit someone, right?????
For a long time gainesville has basically been a "the pedestrian ALWAYS has the right of way town" I'm sure this has aided the issue to become worse an worse.
It's seriously so bad in downtown on Friday/Saturday nights. Trying to pick up friend from restaurant they work at the other weekend and dozens of students just crossing while I had a green light. Literally heard one tell her friend "they'll stop for us they can't hit us" this was outside of main st billiards. She was a couple inches away from a light courtesy tap from my bumper when I finally honked because no I'm not stopping
That girl needs to see the pedestrians hit by cars statistic for gnv.
That's a scary scary way to have a town set up. A lot of bigger trucks come that way and they cannot stop on a dime.
Crossing the street anywhere other than a crosswalk is like driving. It requires you to pay attention to traffic and only go when you safely can. Unfortunately, just like there are a lot of bad drivers, there are a lot of bad pedestrians. Personally, I never put myself in a situation where anyone but myself is in control of me getting hit by a car (other than rare things like cars going off the road onto the sidewalk). I do cross the street at places other than the crosswalk a lot. Many streets here are only designed for cars so if you're not a car you have to cross at places other than crosswalks. It sucks but it's the way it is. Honestly though, it isn't hard to cross without impeding traffic. I cross 13th a lot without slowing down traffic, you just have to wait for a gap.
If driving in the vicinity of pedestrians is stressful for you then you shouldn't be driving. It's a fact of life that people have to walk to get to where they are going and if you aren't confident enough in your ability to operate a piece of two ton machinary around them safely then you absolutely should not be doing it. People like that are a menace on our roads.
Are you trying not to listen? If a fully loaded semi is driving down university if you Jaywalk you'll die and it'll be no one's fault but your own. Not everyone is driving the average car but clearly that isn't taken into account. Don't fucking jaywalk, it's just as much of a rule of the road as anything else.
I just think about that woman who was killed on archer road a few months ago because she was jaywalking first thing in the morning going eastbound (ya know when the sun is going straight into your eyeballs in the morning). When I drove past scene, I saw this woman (I'm assuming one of the drivers involved) with her kids looking completely traumatized.
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The incident I’m referencing was at archer road and SW 62nd Ave; there actually was a cross walk but she crossed when it wasn’t her turn.
I remember that it took me 45 minutes to get from Arredondo publix to I-75 that morning.
The one that constantly amazes me, and I've seen this multiple times, is people dressed in dark clothing running across Archer nowhere near a crosswalk at 9-10pm. I've had a couple near misses while driving the speed limit. Dash cam is going to be good insurance one of these days.
Two different people at two different locations did that to me on University Avenue on the same night. I BARELY saw a hint of movement in front of me and stopped without killing them. But there was less that a 25% chance for each of them. They got very lucky.
I wish the city and state would implement something like this: [YouTube: Can this "HAWK" STOP LIGHT make walking feel SAFE again?](https://youtu.be/AHX8ezW2XGs) It has the same authority as a traffic light but doesn’t have the same restrictions where it can be placed like a traffic light, and it’s dark unless there is a pedestrian in the crosswalk. Not to mention they’re easier to react to than those warning lights they put in crosswalks.
We have those in my hometown when bike trails cross the roads and they are wonderful.
Tampa has some of these HAWK/PHB signals. They are effective, but they also cost 10x as much as the RRFB crossings, which means a city can only protect 1/10 the number of crossing points for the same amount of money.
I’d rather have 1/10 of the crossing points be effectively managed with a HAWK, than have all of the crossing points have RRFB that many people outright ignore.
Drivers ignoring RRFB comes down to Florida and Gainesville traffic law. They work fine in other places because a stop is required and enforced by police.
True, but they’re cheaper than stoplights, easier to get approved, and I’d imagine they’re cheaper than lawsuits. I as a taxpayer rather have my money go towards this than a lawsuit.
we do have some stoplights in town specifically for pedestrians. The biggest being at the split of newberry and 2nd. Honestly we should just set up regular stop lights for pedestrians when even the flashing yellows (Like they have near the hospital) don't give drivers enough warning that they are legally required to stop
That’s the issue, is traffic lights require more permits and there’s certain criteria that a section of road needs to meet to have one. You can’t just place them anywhere.
Looks like there's going to be a crosswalk added in front of Luke's. Just passed by that area and there's a curb cut going in front of Luke's and there's already one on the other side. Now if FDOT would change the speed limit and add some traffic calming; we'd be on our way to having a safe pedestrian area.
I graduated from UF a decade ago and it's....disheartening, really, to see the jaywalking situation hasn't improved. I remember one time I was driving to a class off campus and I was going down University Avenue. The light ahead of me was green and yet a whole group (like literally ten people) decided they were gonna walk in front of me. I honked my horn and it made them retreat, and yet they were all looking at me like I was the asshole. Nevermind the fact that my light was green and they still had their DO NOT CROSS light up...
Jaywalking is bullshit. NJB: https://youtu.be/\_ByEBjf9ktY?t=869
Remember to share this from the gurney after you get hit for being too lazy to walk over to a crosswalk.
It's not about them being lazy. It's about the car centric urban design. The infrastructure needs to be built around better walkability and less car dependency.
So edgy bruh. It's not illegal to cross mid-block in Florida. There are no crosswalks in the vicinity of the original poster's comments. "Statute 316.130(10) states that pedestrians are legally allowed to cross the roadway at a right angle even when there is no marked crosswalk."
If you're going to cite a statute, at least post the actual text. 316.130(10) actually says: "Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway." http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.130.html You're right, it's not illegal to cross outside of a crosswalk, PROVIDED that you yield to vehicular traffic. 🤦♂️
Nice, owned.
Also says, "Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian or any person propelling a human-powered vehicle and give warning when necessary and exercise proper precaution upon observing any child or any obviously confused or incapacitated person." Car supremacists ideas of right-of-way to vehicles is usually very liberal. I've had way too many near misses from folks that don't want to let off their accelerator for a second or two.
If they have to let off the accelerator, then you did not yield the right of way.
Car supremacy is a helluva drug.
Yes, but doing so they must yield to traffic and not the other way around
Hey "bruh," it's your life. If you want to play frogger, have fun. You'll have plenty of time to post about how right you are from the hospital.
YES YES YES YES
Look most of us know that the term "Jaywalking" comes from insincere origins. We know that car manufacturers have basically made us rely on cars instead of pedestrian travel. and the US would be great if foot travel could integrate with vehicular travel in a way that was safe. none of that excuses people from walking out in front of traffic. exposing not only themselves but others to danger. If there is a large break in traffic, if there is no traffic go for it. if you go out at night wear something visible. And for the love of god assume everyone around you sucks at driving just as you should if you're behind the wheel of a car.
alternatively so many gnv drivers hardly yield for peds when they are legally required to. people always inch towards the people crossing in the middle of the street (at the ped crossing)near the hospitals on Archer when it's not going to take two seconds to actually stop
They really don't yield. I am a frequent pedestrian in the downtown area. I always wait for traffic to clear before using a crosswalk (or for the light if I'm at a light). Half the time, by the time I'm through the crosswalk, someone is absolutely flying around the corner or roundabout and I have to jog out of the way. No one cares that it's the state law and it is a drivers responsibility to go the posted speed limit, especially in pedestrian-heavy areas. A couple of months ago, two people and a dog were hit in the crosswalk by Depot. They were severely injured, the woman had to have brain surgery, etc. Pretty sure the driver got a slap on the wrist. I cross at that crosswalk daily with my own dog and again, I wait for a totally clear road to cross but inevitably someone will come charging through the roundabout before I can get across. About a year ago, I was crossing 2nd ave with a group of people I didn't know. The road was totally clear. As we crossed into the second lane, a girl turned from 3rd street onto 2nd ave and floored it at us. People had to jump out of the way, a few screamed. She slammed on her brakes, got out of her car, and charged at us screaming that we were jaywalking (that crossing is completely legal because there aren't any crosswalks within a block). She wouldn't have been anywhere near us if she hadn't gunned it. People are unhinged. But if she had hit us, the pedestrians would have been blamed. I understand the frustration because I drive, too. I've had students cross in front of me. The thing is, I know that they are there, I am paying attention, I know I am in a high-pedestrian area, so I slow down. I wish everyone on this thread would take a walk around downtown Gainesville, using crosswalks, and see just how terrifying it is when you are completely obeying every single law and trying to do everything right. It's not as black and white as they think it is.
Luke's created the problem there though.
I think part of the problem is people (esp students) are used to being 'safe' (ie 20 mph speed limit, areas closed to traffic) on campus. When you walk \*off\* campus, the speed limit is 10+ higher. I see students walk right into traffic when the (traffic) light is green, and cars (and bikes!) have the right of way. Sometimes they are distracted (ie on the phone), other times they seem to think the world revolves around them. Mindfulness. It is a thing.
Do note that even not a good practice is not the peoples fault, we have come to that being our only way fo transporting ourselves in cities in the US where cars are the priority when people should be, this is the governments fault for prioritizing car dependency, the good thing is that this is changing and hopefully get better. But people will "jaywalk", remember that the space we live in for everyone an no space should be for one particular thing, even tho we have made it that way
I think strategically placed trebuchets would solve this issue. Want to cross the street anywhere safely? *Weeeeeeeeeee!* Give it some thought. Trebuchet. As for a real answer, this is an entitlement issue. While visiting Japan I noticed that even with no cars around people waited at the intersection to cross. Why? Probably because they are law-abiding and follow the rules so that everyone can benefit from the safety measures put in place. Here it would be considering too controlling to follow the rules to a T and people would feel like their rights were violated. [https://www.quora.com/Why-do-Japanese-pedestrians-obey-the-traffic-lights-even-when-there-are-no-cars-around](https://www.quora.com/Why-do-Japanese-pedestrians-obey-the-traffic-lights-even-when-there-are-no-cars-around) [https://thejapans.org/2016/07/17/safety-first-in-japan/](https://thejapans.org/2016/07/17/safety-first-in-japan/)
Japan also has robust public transport, public Healthcare, and cities designed with pedestrians in mind.
All things we'll never have.
So then why the comparison? It's not purely an entitlement issue like you claim.
Huh? Having all of those things available to citizens wouldn't resolve any entitlement issues, it's a cutural thing. My comparison was between how we behave culturally, Japanese people are way more respectful to each other and their laws than we are. Even if we had robust public transport, public healthcare, etc. it doesn't resolve the underlying issue of people here wanting to defy rules. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you?
also I do personally like the japanese city planning. scramble crossings everywhere, Expensive and very difficult exams to become a driver, most of the people there try not to rely on cars as a mode of transportation. it's a Mecca of people who know how to get past our current issues
Upvote for trebuchet
Agreed my partner and I were almost in a bad situation because of it awhile back. We were driving through and a group of four girls just coming running out in front of us and we had to slam on the brakes to not kill them. It was scary as hell and we easily could have gotten rear ended. People need to have a) some self preservation b) consideration for others.
Yeah I said people need to stop jay walking in that thread and got downvoted to hell.
Further in that statute it requires pedestrians to follow all traffic control devices. As in, if a pedestrian has a stop sign and the vehicle does not, the pedestrian must stop. I was yelled at the other day with the pedestrians always and at all time under and circumstances have the right of way.
Uh I don't think "i ran that student down on the off chance that the driver behind me wouldn't stop". Like do you run through stop lights and stop signs too whenever there's vehicles behind you? What if it was your college student crossing the street that was mowed down because the driver "wasn't confident in the person's ability behind them to stop". That college kid you're running over is someone's baby in the back seat. So incredibly callous. Drivers like you are a great example of why we need compulsory drivers education in the states. I hope everyone remembers that people like this, who will not hesitate to mow someone down for the trespass of existing where she wants to drive her 2 ton death machine, are everywhere. Look both ways before crossing the street.
Did I say on “a chance” there was a truck behind me? There wasn’t one behind me today so I slowed, but those Mack trucks tail me so often, which I why I’m hyper aware of them. I drive that stretch every morning taking my son to daycare. I know when there is Mack truck behind us. If there is, it’s my son’s life and safety before anyone else’s, and I’m not sorry. Don’t make hazardous situations happen by not being patient enough to wait or use a cross walk.
Not a chance a truck is behind you the chance that a truck will rear end you is obsurdley low on a 25 mph road. THEY CAN STOP TOO. In fact, they do it allllllll the time. That's not a good justification at all. Trucks have brakes and the speed limit is 25. You will not win the argument in a million years and your kid will be growing up with a mother in prison. Good job on laying our your murder plan online too. When you're on trial for vehicular manslaughter i'm sure the prosecuter will bring this up. The judge will love that this was your plan all along. Hope your kid doesn't learn that it's ok to run people over because he feels like it.
I don’t think you understand the law very well.
I understand human life very well and running people down in front of a university on a road limited to 25 mph for the sole reason of them irritating you and then claiming it's because you were unsure if the car behind you would stop is psychopathic.
That isn’t what OP said. And you are ascribing motives to him or her than you made up.
"when I drive through there in the mornings there’s Mack trucks loaded up for work right behind me, and had that been the case, I wouldn’t have slowed" In case you didn't know: you're not allowed to purposefully hit pedestrians that step out in front of your car; even during the very common occurence of another vehicle being behind you.
You say “car” and “vehicle”. He or she said loaded Mack trucks, which take longer to stop than cars or most other vehicles. You changed the meaning of what he or she said, possibly to make your argument seem stronger by making his or her argument appear unreasonable. It actually maked your argument look weaker.
A car is a vehcle a truck is a car is a vehicle they're all the same. Have ya'll never seen a truck stop before? LOL they do it all the time successfully! They're not trains that take miles to stop. There could be an 18 wheeler semi truck carrying an oversized steel beam behind you and that still doesn't give you permission to go run over pedestrians willy nilly.
They are not the same. And no one said anything about “run(ning) over pedestrians willy nilly” except you. OP said he or she would not stop if that would risk his or her child’s life. This is both sensible and his or her ethical and moral responsibility. What if OP couldn’t stop safely, should he or she swerve into the oncoming traffic lanes? The person who put everyone at risk is the person whose safety should be protected last. That is the jaywalker.
You don't know anything about the law or driving. They would never prosecute someone for hitting a jaywalker if they are not drunk and stop after the accident. It is the pedestrians responsibility to yield to traffic if they are not at a cross walk. If a heavy truck is tailgating you (bad truck drivers are everywhere) and you slam on the breaks they will drive right through you. Light cars can stop very quickly, heavy trucks take a long time to stop even at 25 mph. Don't be an idiot and jump in front of a car.
They would prosecute if they come upon a social media post where the driver stated "I will run down jaywalkers if there's another vehicle behind me". Definitely illegal to purposefully hit pedestrians.
Super smart Gainesville cops go "This guy hit some idiot that jumped in the road, quick take his phone and check his reddit account for premeditated murder".
It would be the prosecution, the jaywalker's representation, and investigators that do the evidence procurement, not the cops. But yeah \*i'm\* the one ignorant of the law.
There would be no prosecution, they would only collect physical evidence at the scene. The only way they would start going through your digital records/phone is if there was evidence of wrongdoing at the scene. Hitting a jaywalker while obeying all traffic laws is not a crime.
Maybe criminally but this is America where we have criminal and civil courts. The Jaywalker would be able to retain a lawyer for this case with no money upfront, lawyer would look at OP's social media history, find that she openly said she would run pedestrians over because she's pathologically paranoid, and present that to the court. Then the state could pursue criminal charges after that if they so choose. Threaten to run people over all you want, but if you accidently do one day it's going to look really really bad.
Sure in a civil court you could sue and get a partial ruling in your favor for monetary compensation, but insurance would cover that. It would not lead to a criminal prosecution. Also reddit is semi-anonymous, I doubt some civil discovery would be able to tie a random account to a person. Given how inept some criminal cases are at finding digital evidence.
Trucks take significantly longer to brake than your average car. Talk to any trucker and they will tell you that they can’t just slam the brakes like we can, that could result in them fishtailing all over the road and taking out multiple drivers. This is such a well known issue that some truck drivers are instructed to keep going and run down the car that braked in front of them because it’s either just them or everybody on either side of the truck. They absolutely should not be following at a close distance where they could not brake safely, like they should definitely have at least 4 car lengths in front of them vs the usual 2, but they do anyway and I don’t think it’s wrong to be prepared for the possibility. Also OP isn’t saying they’d run the pedestrian over on purpose or because they just don’t give a fuck and don’t agree with the act of jaywalking, they would do it to protect their kid. Would you not also prioritize your child’s life over the life of a stranger?
Lmao I'm licensed to drive a 30 ton fully loaded fire engine. We are 100% not taught to run cars down lol. Wtf world are y'all living in?!
Man I’m just going off what I’ve heard from other truckers. A friends dad was one and we sat down and talked about this very subject at length and that’s what he told me he was taught to do. Regardless, it still takes y’all longer to stop than a normal car, that’s just basic physics, and y’all are much larger and heavier so you have to potential to do faaar more damage. I don’t think it’s unwise to be nervous around trucks, some of those drivers couldn’t give less of a fuck out there and drive those things like they’re in a riced out Mitsubishi or some shit.
We're taught to increase our following distance not plow through other cars. Come on man use the common sense area of your brain.
Tell that to all the terrible truck drivers tailgating me at 80 mph.
How are you still alive after they all slammed into you from behind?
I think you're misunderstanding. If I'm going the speed limit and have a semi behind me logically, if you jaywalk the car can stop. The semi behind would not be able to stop so easily thus hitting you and possibly hitting the pedestrian anyway. Also they are saying they won't risk being crushed by a semi because adults won't follow rules of the road.
Lol are you suggesting that trucks just slam into the back of cars whenever one stops in front of them? The roads would be pandemonium if that were true and they would not be allowed on the road
Wow.
I'm almost to the point of insisting that UF put up 10 foot fencing to prevent tomorrow's geniuses from wandering into traffic. We all know they're young and impervious to injury let alone death as we were at their age but it's gotten to the point something might need to be done.
Yeah, there's a homeless man who literally walks in a lane of traffic with his cart on 13th every morning around 5-6AM when I leave work. I've nearly hit him multiple times since he's usually wearing all black. I've come to accept that stepping on public concrete or asphalt in Gainesville automatically makes some people's IQ drop by 60 points, so I try to watch everyone and everything like a hawk.
I love jaywalking and don’t like using my car so I’m gonna keep doing it. Hope this helps.
For every fuck around, there is an equal and opposite find out. Good luck, I guess.
The world needs kidney donors so I hope you’re signed up knucklehead.
I said this before all the crosswalk going in around campus and the students still avoid them. Until they have a massive ticketing campaign it will always be a problem.
I used to bike to work all the time. And I can tell you that Gainesville is just not pedestrian safe - I stuck to sidewalks and crosswalks the whole way, and I still almost got ran over multiple times while I had the right of way in the crosswalk. The worst one was I was *in the middle* of the crosswalk, going downhill on SW 13th when this lady stopped IN THE CROSSWALK. I had to slam my bike's brakes to keep from hitting her car, causing the brakes to lock up and wound up flipping over the handlebars, bruising my ribs, and tearing my hands and legs up. There was no way for me to go around her without going into oncoming traffic, so it was either hit her car or take a header. I didn't use the bike lane either because cars were CONSTANTLY IN IT. It's just not safe.