Comments On: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking by Dominic Holden http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/14/city-bans-texting-while-walking Comments On: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking by Dominic Holden en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Wed, 22 May 2013 01:15:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]>
Personally, I've been hit enough by unaware drivers -- without a cell phone -- when I've had the right of way (and a fluorescent yellow coat) to put that shit away when I'm trying to cross the street. Drivers downtown are idiots.
Posted by erly]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 10:51:37 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]>
I don't know what they taught you in Driver's Ed where you went to school, but I was taught that, as the operator of a large, metal, potentially deadly piece of machinery it's YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to actively scan ahead for hazards: whether it's a pedestrian stepping into traffic, a car door opening, a driver pulling out of a driveway or parking stall, a dog running into the street, whatever; and to anticipate an action (slowing down, swerving, or even stopping if necessary), in order to avoid a collision or impact.

The fact that you may have right-of-way doesn't absolve you of this responsibility to maintain a high level of situational awareness of your surroundings while driving and be able to respond accordingly to what are often sudden, unexpected changes. They used to call it "defensive driving", and maybe it's something they don't emphasize nowadays, I don't know. But, regardless, it's still considered the standard for safe motor vehicle operation.
Posted by COMTE]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 10:51:08 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by MR M]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 08:57:35 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]>
And in the snow? Saw the same thing at Denny and Queen Anne or thereabouts during the last big snow. There's enough grade there that a driver may not be able to stop if they have mediocre tires and/or don't really know how to drive in snow and brake too late. You'd think unusual weather would induce unusual caution, but no.

The law is on the pedestrian's side, but physics isn't. Let's be careful out there.
Posted by ScrawnyKayaker]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 08:21:48 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by Why are there cars?]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 08:21:08 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]>
I don't know where you get that the law favors pedestrians. Cars kill walkers and cyclists all the time and it's just treated as an unfortunate accident. Vehicular manslaughter is practically never prosecuted.
Posted by Prettybetsy]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 07:45:19 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by Chicago Fan]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 07:44:08 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by NateMan]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 07:43:50 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by watchout5]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 04:27:45 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]>
mommy taught me to look both ways before crossing the street. ain't like people are playing frogger on the 405 during rush hour, but even if they are, good for them.

somebody holla if anyone makes it to the s-curves stage.
Posted by malcolmxy]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 02:02:26 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by malcolmxy]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 01:57:44 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by runswithnailclippers]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 00:13:40 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]>
Christ almighty, have you ever been to a city?

Sure, cars are tools of the devil and all, but have you imagined what would happen to both pedestrian and automotive traffic flow if cars were constrained by authoritarian, hierarchical lamps on posts, but pedestrians were not?

The satanic automobile does usually have a real, genuine human being inside it. Do we just consign all of those real, actual, breathing, conscious, living human beings to hell, or at least purgatory or legal entanglement, solely for the unpardonable sin of occupying automobiles?

In a collision between auto and pedestrian, the law already favors the pedestrian, and strongly. What do you want to change?
Posted by robotslave]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 23:49:08 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]>
Thanks.
Posted by Mr. X]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 22:18:43 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg11glsBW…
Posted by Reverse Polarity]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 21:12:15 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by I forgot my password.]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 20:30:12 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by balderdash]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 20:30:02 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by bbkpoker]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 19:16:36 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by Prettybetsy]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 19:09:06 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by Christampa]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 19:02:27 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]>
The problem with people is not that they don't pay attention because they're distracted by their phone. It's that they're just incapable of paying attention, even with nothing around to distract them. I count several pedestrians every day who upon reaching a crosswalk that has the walk signal on for the direction they want to travel, stop and look across the other way, look back in the direction they want to travel, ponder their options until the light switches over and it's my turn to legally drive across the crosswalk, before deciding to step out into the street. Nobody is ever holding a phone. They're all just literally too stupid to walk.
Posted by Christampa]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 19:00:45 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]>
It's not just "texting" -- it's people walking and staring at Android for information like directions on maps, facebook and so on...

In Manhattan two days ago with my son, Giovanni, we noticed that people looking at their cell phones while they walked had replaced people walking and talking on their cell phones.

People were holding their cell phones in front of them with their hand...some were also wearing earbuds...texting, or using Google Maps to guide them, or maybe one of the transit applications for buses and subways or just locating a song in a playlist.

We sat in a restaurant on 2nd and 77th, waiting for what seemed forever for our sushi order, and counted them up...the ratio of phone lookers to phone talkers was 4 to 1.


http://yrihf.com/viewtopic.php?t=4209&hi…
Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 18:40:11 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012…
Posted by beatgrl]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 18:14:20 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]> Posted by gloomy gus]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 18:11:37 -0700 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: City Bans Texting While Jaywalking]]>
This one is not.

http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/techn…
Posted by chucklingmonkey]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 18:07:39 -0700 The Stranger