Pedestrians have a sense of entitlement for the use of the road yet they ignore the risks. How often have we seen pedestrians walk with the traffic on the road when it is much safer to walk against it? Or what about the risks associated with pedestrians attempting to cross the road in the middle of street? They weave through one direction of traffic, only to be standing in the middle of the roadway waiting for a clear space to cross the remainder of the road. We see so many pedestrians walking against the light or not looking both ways before they cross, assuming that because the light changed, everyone else is following the rules of the road. What about pathways that are shared with cyclists? How often have we seen both cyclists and pedestrians moving along the left side of the pathway when the appropriate direction is to be on the right? Whether it be on the roadways or pathways, the dangers of potential hazards become significant if people don’t follow consistent rules of the road.
Cyclists expect to share the road but show a unabashed disrespect for the rules of road, the other users, and even the pathways that have been created for cyclists and pedestrians. Cyclists weave in an out of traffic without signalling or respecting the other users of the road, riding two abreast (motorcyclist are not permitted so when did cyclist have this right), approaching intersections and either not stopping or making turns onto the shoulder of the opposite lane before moving over to the correct one, not signalling when making turns, and not using (or having) a bell when approaching pedestrians. All this represents a sense of entitlement, arrogance, and disrespect for others on the road, not to mention creating a bad image for all cyclists.
In competition for the use of the road is the car. Unlike continental Europe where there is a cooperation and consideration for both bicycle and vehicular traffic for road use, in Canada and the United States, it seems that many see the road designed specifically for vehicular use, only. And this, of course, depends on the vantage point: people with cars think that motorcyclists are a moving target, trucks represent an obstacle that slow the traffic flow, and cyclists--because they can't flow with the speed of the traffic--should be designated to cycle paths, only. Pedestrians represent an inconvenience.
Because of this approach to the roadways, cars excessively speed, drive to close behind other vehicles, don’t signal when changing lanes or making turns, running through either yellow or red traffic lights, and stopping too close to the car in front. It seems that the respect for the roadways is not limited to those that are different. Be that as it may, the treatment by cars to other non-motorized vehicles is ever present. Cars dangerously pass cyclists by trying to squeeze by in traffic, thereby crowding the cyclist and pushing them further into the curb. Others honk and curse cyclists for being on the road at all. Still others, don’t heed for pedestrians--even when they have the “right of way”. For example, during a recent event at a controlled traffic intersection, a police vehicle, cut in front of a pedestrian as the person was crossing the road during the “walk sign” to make a right hand turn. This is a $500.00 fine. When the police don’t heed to respect for others on the road, what does that say for the rest of the users?
Unfortunately, it appears that as a society we must have forgotten what it means to be granted a driver's licence. It seems that we need to be reminded by overhead signage that "instructs motorists to leave space between you and the car in front", to "allow cars to merge", to "slow down in bad weather", and the mother of all reminders: "don't drink and drive". All of these messages are basic elements of getting and keeping your driver's license. If we need to be reminded of "how" to drive, maybe we need to rethink the entire system of awarding a driver's license or, at the very least, the renewal process. If driver’s can’t even understand the rules of the road that govern their own behaviour, how can we expect them to share the road with others?
At the same time that driver’s don’t respect the road for one another or different users of the road, it is amazing to see how quickly people will brake hard and pull over to the side of the road when they hear the siren of an emergency vehicle. Of course, this is punctuated without any due diligence for the vehicle behind them when making this radical and dangerous manoeuvre.
Whether it is a pedestrian, cyclist, or car there is a brazen sense of entitlement, arrogance, and disrespect for each other on Canadian roadways. At the same time, however, whenever an incident results in an injury or a fatality, it is labelled a tragedy with demands to change the system. Whatever the case, the result of the competition between the types of people on the roads is neither a tragedy or requires changes to the system. A tragedy implies that the event was somehow outside of the individuals control. Injuries and death on the roads is, generally, human error in judgement. There is nothing tragic in this: it is a cause and effect. As for changing the system, the only change is a change in attitudes toward the multiple users of the roadways and pathways. There needs to be a greater emphasis on cooperation and not competition for the use of these transportation networks. Respect for the various users is the key. Anything else does nothing more than placate the politics of pressure and the guilt to address the symptoms--a knee jerk reaction.
