Objects in Mirror: November 10, 2009 Archive

Share your experiences as a pedestrian in the Twin Cities

Posted at 2:45 PM on November 10, 2009 by Julia Schrenkler

I'm reading the answers to Today's Question: Do you feel safe as a pedestrian in the Twin Cities? At time of writing there are 35 replies to varying degrees of comfort:

"I've been almost hit quite a few times. Invariably, the driver is looking at where cars might be coming from and are not checking in with where pedestrians might be coming from (eg: turning on to a one-way street). Sometimes they don't even see that something might have happened if I hadn't jumped out of the way. I give their car a slap with my hand, hoping to startle them into maybe paying more attention next time. With great power comes great responsibility and giant metal boxes=great power." Posted by Sarah

"As a pedestrian in Minneapolis, I feel safe because I always look both ways before venturing into the wild unknown of Minnesota drivers." Posted by Michael Venske

"A few months ago, I was hit by a car while crossing the street in daylight, in a crosswalk, with a 'walk' sign. I'm OK, but I don't feel especially safe as a pedestrian anymore." Posted by Charlie

"Yes, I feel safe as a pedestrian in Minneapolis. However, compared with another safe city, Seattle, Minneapolis drivers are not respectful of crosswalks, and seldom yield to pedestrians." Posted by Don Nygaard

Read all the answers and share your own reply.