Recently
I went for a walk along a path I have not taken for quite some time. Many of the
potholes had grown larger and there were new ones. It’s not the sort of path
that will be repaved very often, but as it runs along a main highway it does
cross other larger roads. I noticed that at several of these crossroads there
were new nicely painted pedestrian crossings alongside clearly marked bicycle
paths. After a few streets, however, I noticed that my fellow pedestrians were
paying absolutely no attention to these markings and crossing wherever and
pretty much whenever they liked.At
one busier crossing things deteriorated completely.
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While I waited for the traffic light to
change in our favor I was joined by four other “power walkers” and five
cyclists on their way home from work and school. Finally, the light changed and
the four power walkers proceeded to cross in the clearly marked bicycle lane!
The cyclists meanwhile headed out over the pedestrian stripes! Me? Well… I
just walked along the wide, white line separating the two lanes, all the while
wondering whether the paint had been wasted or not. I guess if it made us
realize that this was a place to be careful while we crossed, then it wasn’t a
waste. But, so much for obeying “the letter of the law!”
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