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[/QUOTE]
OP
OP
jefmcg
Guru
[QUOTE 4304286, member: 259"]
What percentage of the population of the Americas is anglo-saxon?[/QUOTE]
I meant culturally anglo-saxon. Australians, USAsians, British, Canadians, NZ share lots of things culturally; common law, drinking culture, similar Government and civil structures etc, innocent until proven guilty, trial by jury etc etc.
I guess there seems 3 attitudes to crossing the road. British, where you can (legally) do what you like as a pedestrian. Australia/America where crossing the road against the lights is an offence, but people do it anyway if there is no cop watching, then Germany where people obey the law even if there is no one else in sight.
(yeah, there probably are more types .... some places I've been to in southern China it's more like a gladiatorial competition between pedestrians and drivers)
What percentage of the population of the Americas is anglo-saxon?[/QUOTE]
I meant culturally anglo-saxon. Australians, USAsians, British, Canadians, NZ share lots of things culturally; common law, drinking culture, similar Government and civil structures etc, innocent until proven guilty, trial by jury etc etc.
I guess there seems 3 attitudes to crossing the road. British, where you can (legally) do what you like as a pedestrian. Australia/America where crossing the road against the lights is an offence, but people do it anyway if there is no cop watching, then Germany where people obey the law even if there is no one else in sight.
(yeah, there probably are more types .... some places I've been to in southern China it's more like a gladiatorial competition between pedestrians and drivers)
Joey Shabadoo
My pronouns are "He", "Him" and "buggerlugs"
You vill not valk under zat tram.
I tried to go round one on the CS 3 without scaring her while she yapped on her phone with her back to me.Just as I was about to pass she stepped into my path as I tried to go round her.Just about managed it as I had given her as much space as I could.It's quite common on the CS's though.
OP
OP
jefmcg
Guru
[QUOTE 4304620, member: 259"]I've lived in the US, in Illinois and in California and in Germany, in Leipzig, Berlin, and Düsseldorf, and from my experience many more people jaywalk in Germany than in the US.[/QUOTE]
OK, I will stand down from that. It's not my direct experience, but people say it all the time about Germans (and a few other Northern European countries). I've never particularly observed it myself, but then I've never seen Germans putting their towels on deckchairs in the middle of the night.
I've seen a lot of jaywalking in the US, but mostly in New York. But in most of America, people don't walk much at all. They don't even have footpaths in the suburbs of Chicago.
OK, I will stand down from that. It's not my direct experience, but people say it all the time about Germans (and a few other Northern European countries). I've never particularly observed it myself, but then I've never seen Germans putting their towels on deckchairs in the middle of the night.
I've seen a lot of jaywalking in the US, but mostly in New York. But in most of America, people don't walk much at all. They don't even have footpaths in the suburbs of Chicago.
OP
OP
jefmcg
Guru
[QUOTE 4304641, member: 259"]Honestly, that's not my experience, even for LA, I don't want to get into a silly argument with you.[/QUOTE]
no, but it's my thread, so I can derail it if I like.
It's why I was specific about the city. A friend, who was living in a central part of Chicago - little Ukraine - that had normal streets and sidewalks etc, like you'd expect, drove me out to see a suburb that she was thinking of buying into. I found it incredibly depressing, because the front lawns (all meticulously manicured) stretched from the front doors all the way to the gutter. You could only walk down the street by walking on the road or walking on everyone's lawn.
Probably the only classic 'burbs in the USA I've seen. I specified Chicago, because while it's emblematic of the problems with USA and it's car culture, I've no reason to believe it's generalisable.
I can easily find an example in google maps https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@41.7...MNejR-s5zH8JCa2P1g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1
no, but it's my thread, so I can derail it if I like.
It's why I was specific about the city. A friend, who was living in a central part of Chicago - little Ukraine - that had normal streets and sidewalks etc, like you'd expect, drove me out to see a suburb that she was thinking of buying into. I found it incredibly depressing, because the front lawns (all meticulously manicured) stretched from the front doors all the way to the gutter. You could only walk down the street by walking on the road or walking on everyone's lawn.
Probably the only classic 'burbs in the USA I've seen. I specified Chicago, because while it's emblematic of the problems with USA and it's car culture, I've no reason to believe it's generalisable.
I can easily find an example in google maps https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@41.7...MNejR-s5zH8JCa2P1g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1
OP
OP
jefmcg
Guru
No idea. She ended up getting a divorce instead of the house, so she never had to find out.
My parents' newspapers are often delivered by someone driving past and throwing them out of a car, and that's in Melbourne which has pavements (aka footpaths) aplenty.
[QUOTE 4304659, member: 259"]Terrible, but it's not most of America.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but I was once asked if my car had broken down when I went for a wonderful walk in Red Rocks Canyon, Nevada, by some generous people who seemed completely puzzled about why I would be walking if my car hadn't broken down.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
[QUOTE 4304620, member: 259"]and from my experience many more people jaywalk in Germany than in the US.[/QUOTE]
It's not jaywalking. It's just walking unless you're a motoring supremacist. Oppose their propaganda.
It's not jaywalking. It's just walking unless you're a motoring supremacist. Oppose their propaganda.
Mad Doug Biker
Just a damaged guy.
- Location
- Craggy Island
[QUOTE 4304659, member: 259"]Terrible, but it's not most of America.
And where I was brought up in the UK, a pavement was as rare as an honest politician[/QUOTE]
Where is/was that?
And where I was brought up in the UK, a pavement was as rare as an honest politician[/QUOTE]
Where is/was that?
chriswoody
Legendary Member
- Location
- Northern Germany
In this part of Northern Germany, crossing the street on red is something you definitely don't do, or see others do that often. Someone will give you a public dressing down if you do. It stems from an old road safety campaign aimed at kids, many years ago, much like the green cross code campaign in Britain. Essentially they are not so fazed about the rules, it's more in case any random child happens to be wandering by and see's you setting a bad example.
As for the trams in the OP, In Hannover, when you come out of the main train station, theres a big pedestrian plaza, crossed left to right by tram tracks. There's no change of surface to denote when your near to the tracks, there just laid straight into the normal surface of the plaza. The amount of times I've seen folk wander, sheep like across, in front of trams, following the herd is countless. How I've not seen anyone hit by one yet I don't know.
As for the trams in the OP, In Hannover, when you come out of the main train station, theres a big pedestrian plaza, crossed left to right by tram tracks. There's no change of surface to denote when your near to the tracks, there just laid straight into the normal surface of the plaza. The amount of times I've seen folk wander, sheep like across, in front of trams, following the herd is countless. How I've not seen anyone hit by one yet I don't know.
captain nemo1701
Space cadet. Deck 42 Main Engineering.
- Location
- Bristol
Here's me riding down a brand new black asphalt segregated bike lane in Bristol. Texting 'zombie' steps off onto the path right in front of me, resulting in an emergency evasive manoeuvre (swerve). The guy was stood on top of the white bike symbol, clearing looking down, but of course, texting and updating Facebook etc is about a gazillion times more important than actually being aware of the world around you!.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
I used to be able to text without looking at the phone when I had one with real keys. I installed DotDashKeyboard for texting without looking at my touchscreen phone much (except a quick check before sending, but I get to a safe stopping place before doing that) but most people will never do that. I also let the phone read stuff out and walk around with one earphone in, but that's rather controversial around here too...
Globalti
Legendary Member
You don't need to be texting; as a dozy teenager I wandered without looking across a wet road in central Newcastle and heard a wierd zzzzz noise, felt a bump on my leg and looked round straight into the shocked eyes of two builders in a white MK1 Escort van, its brakes locked solid. I gestured a vague "sorry" and bumbled off. Poor guys.
winjim
Smash the cistern
Aussies now in on the action.
Australia installs pavement traffic lights for mobile phone-distracted pedestrians
http://gu.com/p/4k76f?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy to clipboard
Australia installs pavement traffic lights for mobile phone-distracted pedestrians
http://gu.com/p/4k76f?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy to clipboard
