how about crazy pedestrians

this morning we were riding our bikes to work on Beacon Avenue, an arterial with two lanes, a big greenbelt median, and a parking lane/strip.

A woman began to jaywalk in front of us. When she saw us (2 bikes) she stopped in the middle of the street with her hand up and said "Pedestrians Have the right of way!" we went around her, totally baffled as to why she stopped (she could have made it to the curb before we got there) and happy that she didn't put more effort into blocking us because it could have been nasty...
:confused:

My DH reported a similar incident on Saturday.

His group ride - about 20 riders strong - was cruising downhill, doing about 30 mph, when a pedestrian stepped off the curb - while looking right at the group barrelling down on him - stopped in the middle of the street and held up his hand like he expected 20 cyclists to be able to stop on a dime, and shouted "WTF!" as all the cyclists split up and rode (safely) around him.

Obviously, he never took physics in high school.

That is crazy. I don't know what to say.

I'm used to the oblivious pedestrian, but intentional obstruction is another matter altogether.

Crazy pedestrians are a feature of my everyday rides. Yesterday a friend I was riding with got cut off by a guy carrying/sprinting with a box of pizza- close enough that she could have reached out and stolen his pizza.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

A woman began to jaywalk in front of us. When she saw us (2 bikes) she stopped in the middle of the street with her hand up and said "Pedestrians Have the right of way!"

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And pedestrians certainly do NOT have the right of way when they are jaywalking, only in a cross-walk. That always bugs me (in a car or bike) - when people jaywalk and assume you will stop for them. Sorry, no.

Nothing against jaywalking, which I do often. But if you DO, then you go LAST after all traffic has gone through.

They aren't crazy pedestrians...they are crazy drivers on foot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by maillotpois

And pedestrians certainly do NOT have the right of way when they are jaywalking, only in a cross-walk.

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That's something that's different in every state. I think it's part of why motorists who are trying to do the right thing are so unpredictable around bicycles - they assume we're supposed to be pedestrians and do whatever the state in which they first got their driver's license requires.

I've had trail runners arrive and stand for a while at the top of a hill after I've already started up a very loose, rocky and steep singletrack toward them - the kind that one little wrong tweak and your wheels spin out - and then just start running right at me. Their answer to "where did you think I was going?" is met with either a shrug or "runners have right of way." Safety or courteousy is not part of their world.

There are some people who just think the world revolves around them. One day, it will slam them a bit harder than they bargained for.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

There are some people who just think the world revolves around them. One day, it will slam them a bit harder than they bargained for.

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And it will leave a chain link scar.


People are nutty.


Roxy

Very nutty, especially given that Seattle has a reputation for enforcing jaywalking laws.

Sorry you had an encounter with a crazy person. Hopefully she isn't busy converting sane people to her point of view ...