Press the button on the traffic light, wait for the green man, walk. It’s simple. Cars generally stop and obey a red light or risk two penalty points if seen by a member of an Garda Siochana. Unfortunately they can’t be at every street junction every hour of the day.
Jacinta and I were walking across the road at the North Gate, a busy intersection, with relatively complicated lights. Pedestrians be warned, wait for the lights! Cars come from all directions! The green man was flashing so it was safe enough, we thought. An ambulance was trying to get through the red light in front of us so we stopped, still, the green man was doing his thing, shaking his stuff, and generally flashing on and off. All’s ok, until there’s the loud blare of a car horn, a louder engine powers a green VW Passat across the junction from North Bridge and swerves just behind us, missing us by perhaps a few inches!
We were shocked, but I looked after them and recognised the same green Volkswagen Passat I had seen two days previously. Dark windows, a big VW badge dangling off the center mirror and the name of some exhaust maker on the back window. That time I had been driving, they were in front of me, and had raced off when lights turned green, lane hopping like there was no tomorrow, in a 50km/h zone. Ironically, they were stuck at the lights going to Mayfield and I passed them a moment later..
It’s a mad world out there, I’ll post a picture of the car next time I see it.
14 Comments
Andrew (7 comments.) on September 10, 2006 at 9:14 pm.
Instances such as this happen often where I live. My new job is at an urban college campus and walking across busy streets and intersections is part of the daily routine. Atleast once a week I either see somone nearly get hit or nearly get hit myself.
The funny thing is that it usually always a teenager behind the wheel.
Donncha (1707 comments.) on September 10, 2006 at 11:02 pm.
I’m just glad I work at home now! I don’t have to venture out on to the streets as much as I used to.
For more entertaining ranting, there’s a boards.ie thread on “Cork drivers: the most dangerous in Ireland?”
I think that there are bad drivers everywhere, Cork doesn’t have the monopoly on them.
Donncha (1707 comments.) on September 11, 2006 at 8:59 am.
The RAC has a study about the six different types of drivers – I think it’s safe to say that the guys in the green Passat fall in category three, “console kings”.
Tonyran (1 comments.) on April 17, 2008 at 7:49 am.
Unfortunately for driver like that passat driver the only way they will ever understand that their driving style is dangerous is if something (terrible) happen to them like an accident or something.
If you seen him twice, I believe you’ll see more of him. Not many drivers are like that, one that do, stick up like sore thumb.
Holly on September 26, 2008 at 8:12 pm.
It would be crazy to count on the green or yellow man when crossing the street. Its like being a shooting duck..take your chances. Thank god i work at home!!
NiceDeals on September 28, 2008 at 10:17 pm.
It is a mad world out there indeed. I believe the same rules apply to the pedestrians as do to drivers that don’t think that just because you are driving or walking as you should that everything is OK. You need to watch out for other peoples mistakes. One mistake and your World may be turned upside down
Automobile on September 30, 2008 at 11:26 pm.
And you know, the media, specifically television and the movies do very little to promote a safer, more sound world out there. I’m betting that I can turn on the tube right now, scroll through all the channels and find more than a handful of examples fo someone getting banged up in some sort of traffic accident.
Then again, one could do the same thing for “murder” or other asundry things!
TÅ‚umiki motocyklowe on October 1, 2008 at 9:09 am.
Even on green light somebody may hurt or kill you in accident, that’s way i always check twice before i go thrugh road
LED Lights on October 1, 2008 at 12:52 pm.
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Lady Maksima on October 20, 2008 at 7:06 pm.
Such drivers don`t remember that they are pedestrians too. It is very bad.
Kevin Phoenix on October 23, 2008 at 1:32 pm.
Just be careful when you come to France… here it doesn’t seem to matter whether you’re on the crossing, the lights are in your favour, or you’re wheel-chair bound carrying a large white stick with a placard on top of it saying “Pedestrian” – they keep coming.
DaveBP on October 26, 2008 at 4:23 am.
The heck with posting a picture, I’d report them to the police before they actually hit someone. The lights do have specific meanings to them. Green means GO, Yellow means Hurry Up, and Red means Floor It Man!
Kevin C on November 8, 2008 at 3:34 pm.
It’s getting more and more dangerous to cross the street even in Boise, ID. I live here all my life and i see what happens – i work as a truck driver. Be careful!
Nathalie on November 10, 2008 at 4:35 pm.
Well, it’s still not as bad as it is in Russia, for example. There such guys on cool cars like BMW will never understand that their way of driving is dangerous for others and for them themselves, even if they were punished. Even if they have problems with the officials, they just give them some money and drive away. That’s it!
Good for you (and for everyone), that nobody’s hurt!