I drive two vehicles, and not very often at the same time. I drive a large pickup truck for work and my Chevrolet Aveo on weekends. Big truck. Small car. Either way, if you get hit by one it’s going to hurt.
Drivers will cut off a smaller vehicle a lot sooner than they will a bigger one. The same goes for pedestrians. They believe if they walk out in front of a smaller vehicle they can somehow bully the driver into slowing down or stopping completely, depending if the pedestrian takes their time. Driving two vehicles of such different sizes, I notice a change in the attitudes of drivers and pedestrians alike towards the different vehicles.
Take a drive through any of downtown Winnipeg’s one-way streets and remember what they taught you in driver’s ed class: scan ahead. This lesson comes in handy, not only so you can notice the lights change or read street signs, but so your foot is prepared to slam the brake when careless pedestrians comes darting out from between parked cars and the middle of the curb.
I’m talking about jaywalking. I’ll admit, I do it a lot — though when I do, I make it a habit of looking before I cross the street. I tell myself it’s too cold to walk to the intersection or I just don’t see the logic in walking in a giant U shape to get to the shops that I want that are directly across the street.
Crossing at random from the curbside is a habit we often find ourselves questioning the legality of when visiting new cities. Sometimes this questioning is due to the abhorrent driving practices in other countries — other times, it just seems wrong.
Across Canada police have been cracking down on jaywalkers due to an increase in pedestrians being struck by vehicles. CBC News reported that Toronto had 14 pedestrian fatalities at the beginning of 2010 in one month alone.
Other cities, such as Montreal and Calgary, have also cracked down on jaywalkers.
Winnipeg witnessed several cases of pedestrians being struck by vehicles over the recent holiday, with two of them hit and run accidents resulting in death, one on Dec. 23 and the second Christmas Eve.
Places like Singapore enforce jaywalking with a strict penalty. According to Singapore’s Road Traffic Act, penalties include “a fine not exceeding [approximately C$772] or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months and, in the case of a second or subsequent conviction, to a fine not exceeding [approximately C$1,544] or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months.”
In the United Kingdom, jaywalking is not illegal and Britons cross the road at any curbside they feel suits them best. This is unadvised to any newcomer to the U.K. as the British habit of driving on the opposite side of the road will ensure your travel health insurance (assuming you have any) is used to its fullest. Just remember, don’t look left.
Australia enforces jaywalking in much the same way Canada: enforced in varying degrees of severity province by province and cracking down when an increase in pedestrian accidents occur.
So with life becoming busier and people finding it harder to finish everything on the to-do list before they hit the steets at night, is it any surprise we’re (literally) cutting corners? Are we aware of the danger we put ourselves in when it comes to saving a few extra minutes? I’m sure that question can be answered not only by the number of jaywalkers, but also by the number of stop signs and red lights that go ignored in this city.
