Nowadays in Montreal cops will actually give you a ticket for crossing at a red light. If anybody has ever been at Stanley and St. Catherine they'll know how absurd this is, as the crossing is about 12 feet. This is not in our city's culture and should not only be discontinued as soon as possible but the entire restriction on jaywalking should be repealed immediately.
Jaywalking is a victimless offense and Montreal must return to the days when cops worried about real issues such as dangerous drivers, or shoplifters or dash and diners.
The public land is the public land and ambulatory travellers must not be punished for pursuing their course - such is a fact enshrined ever since the commoners busted down fences in England back during the Enclosure movement. Imagine that some other public space, such as the plaza on Place des Arts had restricted walking paths, well it's that very same absurd principle enshrined in law with the jaywalking ban.
As long as you're not trespassing into someone's private abode or something, a person's feet must be free to wander, as it's one of the last remaining bits of liberty that we share. There are other obvious arguments in favour of the jaywalking ban repeal: we want to encourage people to walk, for the purpose of exercise and for the health of the planet and to decongest the roads too, and so forth.
The Canadian Automobile Association was largely to blame for the invention of the jaywalking infraction, and they did it through a publicity blitz in the late '20s.
The current laws on jaywalking are ridiculous and should be repealed. I would contend that they have cost many lives as well, as motorists have developed a sense of entitlement that nobody on foot is allowed to cross their sacred path at pains of death or maiming. (Here's one from that year. Here's one from 1927 from the Canadian Good Roads Association. Even a group that claimed to stand for pedestrians in 1933 said that pedestrians must wait at red lights.)
Take a look at any pedestrian crosswalk, where cars are supposed to stop when someone shows the intention of crossing. Yesterday in front of the Molson Breweries some poor shmuck had to wait for a dozen cars to pass before they were all gone. Every one of those cars should have gotten a ticket for not allowing him to cross first, but police apparently do not give tickets for that offense.
Jaywalking is a victimless offense and Montreal must return to the days when cops worried about real issues such as dangerous drivers, or shoplifters or dash and diners.
The public land is the public land and ambulatory travellers must not be punished for pursuing their course - such is a fact enshrined ever since the commoners busted down fences in England back during the Enclosure movement. Imagine that some other public space, such as the plaza on Place des Arts had restricted walking paths, well it's that very same absurd principle enshrined in law with the jaywalking ban.
As long as you're not trespassing into someone's private abode or something, a person's feet must be free to wander, as it's one of the last remaining bits of liberty that we share. There are other obvious arguments in favour of the jaywalking ban repeal: we want to encourage people to walk, for the purpose of exercise and for the health of the planet and to decongest the roads too, and so forth.
The Canadian Automobile Association was largely to blame for the invention of the jaywalking infraction, and they did it through a publicity blitz in the late '20s.
The current laws on jaywalking are ridiculous and should be repealed. I would contend that they have cost many lives as well, as motorists have developed a sense of entitlement that nobody on foot is allowed to cross their sacred path at pains of death or maiming. (Here's one from that year. Here's one from 1927 from the Canadian Good Roads Association. Even a group that claimed to stand for pedestrians in 1933 said that pedestrians must wait at red lights.)
Take a look at any pedestrian crosswalk, where cars are supposed to stop when someone shows the intention of crossing. Yesterday in front of the Molson Breweries some poor shmuck had to wait for a dozen cars to pass before they were all gone. Every one of those cars should have gotten a ticket for not allowing him to cross first, but police apparently do not give tickets for that offense.
Lame - jaywalking is one of the reasons why we moved here from the West Coast (well, not really...but it's pretty cool that you can do it here). My first few attempts at jaywalking were terrifying, now, they're quite liberating. Jaywalking is one of the many things that makes this awesome city different to all the other boring, mundane cities in this country.
ReplyDelete(Demerit) points well taken. Jaywalking is dangerous. On two occasions, I have seen (and heard) pedestrians hit by large vehicles. These were smackdowns and they weren't pretty.
ReplyDeletePeabody
p.s. I stop at crosswalks when driving.
I understand worried parents not letting their children cross on red lights or between blocks. But when the police try to get adults to "change their behavior," that's another story.
ReplyDeleteTicketing jaywalking is an example of PUBLIC behaviorism at the service of car companies and other interested PRIVATE parties.
These private interests are using their influence on public officials (and public opinion) to try to alter our daily routines to change our culture to make it more machine-friendly, rather than human and other lifeform friendly.
Please stop trying to turn us into corporate-enabling cogs.
maybe, just maybe the enforcement activity will be directed at marked crosswalks, a pedestrian-oriented road safety feature universally ignored by car drivers.
ReplyDeleteIn reality it boils down to a lack of respect all around.
ReplyDeleteThe drivers don't respect each other the pedestrians and cyclists.
Cyclists don't have respect for the rules of the road, or pedestrians.
Pedestrians do what they have to do to get where they're going and THEY don't respect the rules of the road either.
I totally agree: jaywalking done right is often the safest way to cross the street. I would join the call for more tickets for drivers not respecting crosswalks, but I am so used to drivers not stopping at them that I am suspicious of any who do...do they want to get me out in the middle of the road for some evil purpose?
ReplyDeleteAnd then there's this experience that I had with three offenders who just happened to be bicylce cops:
http://talktothehump.blogspot.com/2009/07/grumpy.html
So I don't really trust their willingness to prosecute the drivers.
Jaywalking: Part One
ReplyDeleteI have posted comments about jaywalking and crosswalks elsewhere in this website, but let's break it down to "safe jaywalking" and "unsafe jaywalking". If you're a physically-fit adult with good timing and judgement, then jaywalk but do it intelligently but always considering the potential consequences.
In the end, jaywalking is an impulsive act and we all know that impulsive acts can get us into trouble. It's like gambling.
Despite that, however, it's still a poor example to jaywalk in front of children. We all know that countless numbers of kids get injured or killed dashing between parked cars every day, so for a parent to jaywalk with their child or to jaywalk in front of other people's kids sends the wrong message.
In the U.S. last week there was a big story in the news about a woman on trial because her child was killed when she took the kid into the street to jaywalk. Then there are drunks and people on medication who have no idea that they may be taking their lives into their own hands. In addition, I have seen many seniors here and in different cities around the world who, with sour-faced expressions, deliberately jaywalk in dangerous traffic. For some reason they take the attitude that they are exempt from the traffic rules or have a death-wish! These people seem to think that every vehicle must stop for them to cross no matter where!
As far as "safe jaywalking" is concerned, it is only human nature for adults to be impatient and in a rush--especially downtown where many streets are narrow enough to get across quickly without being hit, so if you're a physically-fit adult with good timing and judgement, then go ahead. Nevertheless, you still do so at your own risk! You never know who is behind the wheel nearby not paying attention, or determined to beat you across. I see this everyday near the parking lots of shopping centres, and lately I am more cautious than I've ever been. Sometimes it seems that you need eyes in the back of your head the way some of these drivers behave; too aggressive, on their cellphones, etc.
As far as the police ticketing jaywalkers: I have a suspicion that it is the insurance companies that have been putting pressure on cities to do this. Presumably the number of lawsuits by both drivers and pedestrians has increased to the point where it has become more problematic than in the past--not to mention the number of related injuries overloading our hospital emergency wards.
Never underestimate the power and influence of the insurance industry. For better or worse, it has intruded into our lives more than we probably imagine and is one of the biggest rackets going. Remember how quickly headrests were installed on the tops of carseats? It was virtually overnight! This was done, you may remember, due to the high volume of "whiplash" claims, which were very often hard to prove in court. While many of these claims were valid, others were completely bogus, with a rash of insurance fraud scams taking place. Apparently whiplash pain is difficult to prove medically, although perhaps less so today than in years past.
On the subject of crosswalks, I've mentioned elsewhere that the yellow painted stripes quickly vanish under the snow in winter and by the spring the paint has worn off almost completely, so most drivers will therefore "justify" not stopping for pedestrians because "the crosswalk is no longer there", or tell themselves that "the city must have removed it".
Unfortunately, the city itself contributes to such problems by not maintaining and even completely removing previously designated crosswalks. Remember the TV media coverage of the crosswalk at Swail and Cote des Neiges near the Metro supermarket--complete with signs and flashing lights? Well, today it's gone! No explanation given.
Jaywalking: Part Two
ReplyDeleteEleswhere in the world, for example in Auckland, New Zealand and cities in Australia there are places I had to walk an unacceptably long distance--often for several blocks--to find the nearest traffic light or safe crossing place. This only annoys people who then aggressively jaywalk, often risking their safety to simply reach their neighbours, pharmacy, bank, etc.
One of the most notorious places in the world to cross through traffic is the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Anyone who has ever visited that famous tourist spot knows that you literally have only a few seconds to find an opening in the continuous traffic to scurry across and later back again. Cars do not stop and there are no traffic lights! It's like some bizarre sport! Like a Mayan ball court of ages past!
In downtown London at least there are many pedestrian underpasses available to avoid crossing at such busy intersections.
* * *
Kristian, have you considered upgrading your blogsite to include a topic index as well as a place where visitors may contribute their own topics? I mention this because, perhaps inevitably, visitors' comments (mine included) often go off on a tangent, a trait which I see all too often in other forums. I bring this up because there seems to have developed a haphazardness to your site which often makes it cumbersome to track down information previously posted.
For example, if I type "CDN NDG" (quotation marks omitted) in your search bar, what logically comes up is a series of your posts on these city districts. But if I type only the letters "NDG", oddly enough I get articles on BOTH Cote des Neiges and Notre Dame de Grace--some of which may or may not be missing from the "NDG"-only search list. Visitors to your site might therefore not be able to find certain relevant articles unless they are aware that they must search more diligently or intuitively.
What is needed is a sort of "topic defrag", for lack of a better term. Perhaps you already have a plan to deal with this?
Please accept my suggestions as constructive criticism.
Thanks, and keep up the good work.
Cops give out jaywalking tickets because they are lazy donut-chomping unionized goons...so, let's let all the corrupt denizens of the Tremblay Council drink champagne given by developers, let's let all the financial planners scam the senior citizens of their life savings...but Constable Crueller and Brigadier Beignet can stand in their blues at a street corner and collect on the backs of the average citizen. Screw the SPVM...but at least they aren't as corrupt as the CN Police.
ReplyDelete@Urban Legend
ReplyDeleteThat woman wasn't really jaywalking -- the street design is just very poor.
She was crossing in the middle of a kilometre-long block rather than make her kids walk all the way to the corner and back with their groceries.
In any sensible place there would be a crosswalk next to a bus stop.
And in any sensible place a driver who had ALREADY hit someone at that same spot while drunk would never have been allowed to do it a second time.
-Kevin
Sometimes, like in the winter, it's unavoidable. It's so cold that standing on the freezing street corner is unbearable!
ReplyDeleteJust make everyone wear one of these:
ReplyDeletehttp://gopro.com/cameras/hd-hero-960-camera/
That way, accident forensics and blame assignment will be much easier.
Kidding aside, some cyclists (obviously not the ones running reds and almost mowing-down pedestrians on sidewalks) DO wear these things to capture their potential last moments before an "incident" .
Paul
UrbanLegend makes some excellent points.
ReplyDeleteTrue anecdote: While living in Toronto, I was witness to a non human-accompanied dog waiting at a crosswalk (two lanes going in each direction).
Some driver decided to stop for him/her, so everyone else did, too.
Then the dog crossed the street. We didn't typically use words like 'awesome' back then in the '80s, but that was awesome.
Paul
A friend of mine got a ticket for crossing an intersection while the countdown light was "counting down" (near Cite-Vertu metro). He had 20 seconds to make a 5-10 second crossing. He was told that you cannot cross while the "hand" is flashing - even if the countdown gives you plenty of time to cross.
ReplyDeleteThe judge threw out the case - I don't think the cop even showed up.
Naturally the cop wouldn't show up in court...they never do for this kind of ticket...they just write the ticket, it counts in their quota, and there is never any correlation with what the conviction/pay up rate is thereafter.
ReplyDeleteThe most notorious of the SPVM goons is Badge 5389, Essiambre Obama/P. (3 guesses that he is a minority quota hire EOE), who will even ticket cars who want to ask him a question simply because by stopping to ask him (who is parked in a bus lane), they are too....definitely a dirty rogue cop who should go and ply his scam trade with the railway police.
I'm convinced that the ban is dangerous. The way drivers and bikers recklessly operate in Montreal, pedestrians always have to be careful before crossing the street, whether they have the right of way or not. As such, they are paying attention when jaywalking. If you ban jaywalking, pedestrians will stop paying attention and look only for the cross lights (the way they do everywhere else) and ultimately get hit by a fool hipster riding their fool bike in the wrong direction, even though they are crossing at their turn.
ReplyDeleteEver been to India? No one obeys traffic rules. People just go into the street and the cars go around them. Driver and pedestrian reflexes are active enough and they are paying enough attention that they are not likely to get hit unless they do something unexpected.
Interesting and informative article on jaywalking:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26073797