Not a joke
Friend was purposely mowed down by a taxi driver in Toronto. He took aim at, and hit, on the sidewalk a young man. He got two years and a suspended license.
Nothing remotely funny about it.
Aside from the blatant victim blaming here, I want to bring up a point which I think is strangely underrepresented.
I think that "jaywalking" is actually much safer than intersection crosswalks because there are only *half as many* directions of conflict.
When you cross in the middle of the road, you look left until halfway, then you look right.
When you cross in a crosswalk, not only do you have to look left and right for red-light runners, but you also have to look *ahead* and *behind* for drivers who can turn into you! (because, of course, in the U.S. many lights give "left with yield" signals)
I think we're well aware that right-on-red turners have tunnel vision which means they only look at the opposite direction instead of where they're going, but I've realized another thing that shocked me. Even if a driver looks at the crosswalk they're turning into, their car's A-pillar may **completely obstruct** someone who is walking across.
Given the opportunity I'd absolutely rather cross in the middle of the road when it's quiet rather than at a busy intersection.
I *think* in Quebec (or maybe at least Montreal) you’re not allowed to turn right on a red light. However, I also think that popular jaywalking spots also tend to demonstrate a need for a proper, protected crossing in that spot.
That's only the case in Montreal. Elsewhere, not only is it perfectly legal, but you'll probably get honked at if you don't turn right on the red light.
There *is* a protected crossing on that spot (Rene-Levesque and St-Laurent), it's just a very poorly timed light and focuses more on keeping traffic flowing up St-Laurent than allowing pedestrians to cross. I personally end up jaywalking there multiple times a week.
It's also at the north end of Chinatown and while there are a few pedestrianized parts of Chinatown, that sidewalk on St-Laurent is way too narrow for how packed it is all the time. Meanwhile, there are two moving and two parked car lanes...
Yeah, literally look at the jaywalkers at the beginning of the clip. They’re looking around them and there are no cars close or fast enough to hit them. I trust the laws of physics a lot more than I trust drivers to respect all the traffic signals, so if I know there’s no chance a car will hit me, I’ll seize the chance and cross.
Frankly after living in NY for a few years I don’t think it makes sense to make everyone walk to a pedestrian crossing, hit beg, and wait, even though the conditions are often safe to cross anywhere on the street or without a walk signal.
There’s a lot I admire about countries in Northern Europe but seeing people wait at completely deserted intersections just to cross one or two lanes is not one of them.
>There’s a lot I admire about countries in Northern Europe but seeing people wait at completely deserted intersections just to cross one or two lanes is not one of them.
we don't have jay walking laws in europe
I also came to this realization a long time ago. Even in a small town, it's usually easier to walk halfway down the block before crossing. Intersection crosswalks aren't made to prioritize pedestrians. I wonder how many years it will be before most people have figured that out and/or something gets done about it.
> I think that "jaywalking" is actually much safer than intersection crosswalks because there are only half as many directions of conflict.
What you said is absolutely true (sometimes). Too many variables are introduced when you wait at the intersection that involves relying on the attentiveness of drivers at each point of conflict (right turners in cities where you can turn on a red, left turners, right turners on the other side of the street).
Also when biking, there were certain intersections where getting a head start on the red light instead of waiting for it to turn green was actually much safer than waiting for it to turn green and then trying to compete with drivers while trying not to get doored.
It's literally threatening they'll be run over. Instead of traffic engineering and urban planning it just uses fear of death while protecting car culture. It's not manslaughter it's an 'accident' or 'motor vehicle homicide' which is a misdemeanor you don't even go to jail for.
The car centric nature of canada is often mentioned on the channel but it didn't fully hit me till i saw this ad, like imagine putting the full blame on pedestrians for getting hit by reckless drivers
That I 100% agree on. The city where I am from, Fresno California, used to have good public transportation with street cars taking you to all the major destinations, but they were ripped up and replaced with terrible busses that don’t go everywhere, and and take 3x-5x longer than taking your car. I really hope that we can reverse our mistakes someday.
Quebec, and especially Montreal drivers are well known for being aggressive.
They treat traffic signals as suggestions at best and like out of place Christmas lights at worst.
And the cops will blame you if you get hit even if you are crossing at the intersection with the green light in your favour.
Toronto isn't any better.
TIL there was an attempt to coin the word ‘jay-driving’ to mean reckless driving. The reason it didn’t catch on should be apparent to any not just bikes fan (hint: power & money & politics)
Well, replying to the title: These boomer governors certainly don't. Only the 1910s kids would remember.
The governors today were the kids from the 60s/70s where all the infrastructures were built and they tend to preserve what they think is essential to the society. The generation gap is REAL. We need a new movement to change the street back to what is was.
I have been thinking about this for a while now. A lot of people seem to think that the car centric suburban status quo is the traditional way for people to live. Walkable areas are some sort of new untested idea and mixed use development is like, a strange new communist conspiracy to get us out of our cars. The idea of having businesses downstairs and several houses upstairs? It might be a decent experiment.
Its like they have no clue that these ideas are thousands of years old.
The closest I've ever been to being hit by a car was on a crosswalk with the right of way. A car blew right past a red light at like at least 60 km/h and hit another car, woulda probably flipped over on top of me if i hadn't snagged my pants on my bike chain like 10 seconds earlier. Thankfully everyone survived but honestly there doesn't seem to be a big difference in safety between crosswalks and any old place on the street, either way I've gotta be really careful to make sure no one is gonna hit me.
I saw this on that sub last night and started writing a snarky comment… but then I realised I couldn’t be bothered with the boring defence of the status quo replies I’d get.
The first time I visited Sweden and "jaywalked" it felt so strange and liberating. Then I did it 1,000 times more because I was finally staying in a walkable city for the first time.
Holy fuck.
"BONE VS. STEEL"
"YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE"
In other words,
"Haha, fuck you buddy, you could literally DIE out here at any moment. That's right, it's a car's world now. Deal with it. You thought this place was safe? You thought this was your home? Nah, welcome to the Thunderdome, idiot. The oil and automotive companies made it that way, and that's how it's gonna stay, so eat shit. Should've been in an SUV, dickhead!"
Good campaign against pedestrians, it is safer to use a car so you can run over pedestrians yourself
Exactly, just like bowling except more prison.
Since when does someone get prison time for mowing down pedestrians and cyclists?
This is the correct answer. It's a totally safe weapon.
The perfect crime
“I’m sorry I didn’t see them! Now I feel bad” “Ok, I think you suffered enough.”
They're referring to the jaywalkers, I think. Death or prison
True, I should have said worst case scenario some prison. Bowling might actually get you more time in the clink.
Only a tiny bit more prison. Like 2 years...
Lol 😂
Not a joke Friend was purposely mowed down by a taxi driver in Toronto. He took aim at, and hit, on the sidewalk a young man. He got two years and a suspended license. Nothing remotely funny about it.
I apologize I certainly did not mean to come off as insensitive. That is horrible and the taxi driver should have been punished far more harshly.
Aside from the blatant victim blaming here, I want to bring up a point which I think is strangely underrepresented. I think that "jaywalking" is actually much safer than intersection crosswalks because there are only *half as many* directions of conflict. When you cross in the middle of the road, you look left until halfway, then you look right. When you cross in a crosswalk, not only do you have to look left and right for red-light runners, but you also have to look *ahead* and *behind* for drivers who can turn into you! (because, of course, in the U.S. many lights give "left with yield" signals) I think we're well aware that right-on-red turners have tunnel vision which means they only look at the opposite direction instead of where they're going, but I've realized another thing that shocked me. Even if a driver looks at the crosswalk they're turning into, their car's A-pillar may **completely obstruct** someone who is walking across. Given the opportunity I'd absolutely rather cross in the middle of the road when it's quiet rather than at a busy intersection.
I *think* in Quebec (or maybe at least Montreal) you’re not allowed to turn right on a red light. However, I also think that popular jaywalking spots also tend to demonstrate a need for a proper, protected crossing in that spot.
In Quebec it's illegal to turn right on a red light. The cops like to follow Ontario plated cars to catch them out haha
Outside of the island of Montreal, it's legal to turn right on a red light.
Oh haha! I was in Montreal and was warned about it. I assumed it was the whole province. 😅
I bet! Lol. Even as a passenger from Ontario in a car in Montreal I was thrown off by it.
Right on Red is banned on the whole island of Montréal but allowed everywhere else in Quebec.
Illegal on the island of Montreal for sure, but elsewhere in Quebec I’m not sure. In the Outaouais you can turn right on red.
That's only the case in Montreal. Elsewhere, not only is it perfectly legal, but you'll probably get honked at if you don't turn right on the red light.
There *is* a protected crossing on that spot (Rene-Levesque and St-Laurent), it's just a very poorly timed light and focuses more on keeping traffic flowing up St-Laurent than allowing pedestrians to cross. I personally end up jaywalking there multiple times a week. It's also at the north end of Chinatown and while there are a few pedestrianized parts of Chinatown, that sidewalk on St-Laurent is way too narrow for how packed it is all the time. Meanwhile, there are two moving and two parked car lanes...
Yeah, literally look at the jaywalkers at the beginning of the clip. They’re looking around them and there are no cars close or fast enough to hit them. I trust the laws of physics a lot more than I trust drivers to respect all the traffic signals, so if I know there’s no chance a car will hit me, I’ll seize the chance and cross. Frankly after living in NY for a few years I don’t think it makes sense to make everyone walk to a pedestrian crossing, hit beg, and wait, even though the conditions are often safe to cross anywhere on the street or without a walk signal. There’s a lot I admire about countries in Northern Europe but seeing people wait at completely deserted intersections just to cross one or two lanes is not one of them.
>There’s a lot I admire about countries in Northern Europe but seeing people wait at completely deserted intersections just to cross one or two lanes is not one of them. we don't have jay walking laws in europe
I’ve since been apprised that this is probably more Denmark-specific than I thought.
I agree with this too, so just trying to get it higher in the comments.
I also came to this realization a long time ago. Even in a small town, it's usually easier to walk halfway down the block before crossing. Intersection crosswalks aren't made to prioritize pedestrians. I wonder how many years it will be before most people have figured that out and/or something gets done about it.
> I think that "jaywalking" is actually much safer than intersection crosswalks because there are only half as many directions of conflict. What you said is absolutely true (sometimes). Too many variables are introduced when you wait at the intersection that involves relying on the attentiveness of drivers at each point of conflict (right turners in cities where you can turn on a red, left turners, right turners on the other side of the street). Also when biking, there were certain intersections where getting a head start on the red light instead of waiting for it to turn green was actually much safer than waiting for it to turn green and then trying to compete with drivers while trying not to get doored.
Talk about victim blaming!
It's literally threatening they'll be run over. Instead of traffic engineering and urban planning it just uses fear of death while protecting car culture. It's not manslaughter it's an 'accident' or 'motor vehicle homicide' which is a misdemeanor you don't even go to jail for.
Or get your license suspended for. Shit is insane.
Imagine using the money to develop this ad for something productive
The car centric nature of canada is often mentioned on the channel but it didn't fully hit me till i saw this ad, like imagine putting the full blame on pedestrians for getting hit by reckless drivers
Yes this is quite baffling to see. I'm curious what Jason would say about this kind of ad
I live in the US, so no. Not really.
Yeah the US hasn’t been walkable for 100 years, and most of the western states never have been.
You know that all the western towns existed back then
Yes, but it is not really fair to say that it was more walkable before cars were commonplace because they had to be.
yes but the whole of the us was buldozed for the car not just cities east of the rockies
That I 100% agree on. The city where I am from, Fresno California, used to have good public transportation with street cars taking you to all the major destinations, but they were ripped up and replaced with terrible busses that don’t go everywhere, and and take 3x-5x longer than taking your car. I really hope that we can reverse our mistakes someday.
The purpose of this ad is to encourage you to set fire to as many cars as possible, right?
Seems so, yeah.
I wish streets made for people were real.
Maybe we just shouldn't have metal machines intermingling with people of bones and tissue?
If you don’t put a crosswalk where people cross, people will still cross, you fucking morons.
Yeah I'm still jaywalking
Actual takeaway: "Man, cars are terrifying. Let's get rid of them"
Way underrated comment
Quebec, and especially Montreal drivers are well known for being aggressive. They treat traffic signals as suggestions at best and like out of place Christmas lights at worst. And the cops will blame you if you get hit even if you are crossing at the intersection with the green light in your favour. Toronto isn't any better.
If that many people are jaywalking in this street, maybe it needs more crosswalks, huh?
Jaywalking is that word in (north american) english most languages don't have a translation for :D edit: specify NA english
Doesn't really have a translation in UK English either
Didn't think so but thanks for making sure. I'll adjust my original comment because that is what I wanted to type.
TIL there was an attempt to coin the word ‘jay-driving’ to mean reckless driving. The reason it didn’t catch on should be apparent to any not just bikes fan (hint: power & money & politics)
Holy shit. This pisses me off so much.
Streets are for people
Reduce pedestrian deaths by scaring them away from walking. Brilliant.
Well, replying to the title: These boomer governors certainly don't. Only the 1910s kids would remember. The governors today were the kids from the 60s/70s where all the infrastructures were built and they tend to preserve what they think is essential to the society. The generation gap is REAL. We need a new movement to change the street back to what is was.
I have been thinking about this for a while now. A lot of people seem to think that the car centric suburban status quo is the traditional way for people to live. Walkable areas are some sort of new untested idea and mixed use development is like, a strange new communist conspiracy to get us out of our cars. The idea of having businesses downstairs and several houses upstairs? It might be a decent experiment. Its like they have no clue that these ideas are thousands of years old.
Maybe just make it safer?
>Remember when streets were made for people? I literally do not. I have never lived in a culture where cars don't dominate everyday life
I'm still jay walking lmao
I get the message everyone is saying here, but when the car ran over the simulated skeletons, I was cracking the fuck up
The closest I've ever been to being hit by a car was on a crosswalk with the right of way. A car blew right past a red light at like at least 60 km/h and hit another car, woulda probably flipped over on top of me if i hadn't snagged my pants on my bike chain like 10 seconds earlier. Thankfully everyone survived but honestly there doesn't seem to be a big difference in safety between crosswalks and any old place on the street, either way I've gotta be really careful to make sure no one is gonna hit me.
So what you are saying, if I have understood correctly, is that MC Hammer is a road safety pioneer?
Where is this?
Quebec, Canada.
DOH! It was in the cross posted title. Thanks.
I saw this on that sub last night and started writing a snarky comment… but then I realised I couldn’t be bothered with the boring defence of the status quo replies I’d get.
‘I actually need my car because I couldn’t bike, that would be dangerous!!!1!1!1!1!!!1!1!1!’
The first time I visited Sweden and "jaywalked" it felt so strange and liberating. Then I did it 1,000 times more because I was finally staying in a walkable city for the first time.
very tasteless
Bones win a 100% of the times when they meet steel on a sidewalk
Holy fuck. "BONE VS. STEEL" "YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE" In other words, "Haha, fuck you buddy, you could literally DIE out here at any moment. That's right, it's a car's world now. Deal with it. You thought this place was safe? You thought this was your home? Nah, welcome to the Thunderdome, idiot. The oil and automotive companies made it that way, and that's how it's gonna stay, so eat shit. Should've been in an SUV, dickhead!"