Pedestrians are lemmings

[Gremlin]

Friday night... around 8.15pm, leaving the CBD after some work at a client.

Just before an intersection, light turns orange, reckon I can't easily stop in time, so continue through. As I enter the intersection a pedestrian starts running across the road on the other side of the intersection, from left to right. At 55kph this all tends to happen quick.

First get on the horn, she hasn't really noticed me bearing down on her or the headlight, and its clear she's going to be collected with current speeds and paths. Figure I better start doing something to protect the nice hornet from blood/hair/flesh. Start moving to the left side of the road (where she has come from) after the horn, so she makes it across before I'm there.

I'm now at least halfway through the intersection. Then she notices me... and stops dead, like a bloody possum. Now I'm heading right for her. On the brakes hard, weave back right again, and avoid messing up the front end.

Do they have a death wish?

[Gremlin]

And on reflection...

My mother almost hit a kid near a school, when he suddenly ran across the road. She came extremely close, and he never had a clue, as he was using ear phones for an ipod or something.

I almost hit a pedestrian a while back in the city. Up ahead, someone crosses, all fine, they will be finished by the time I'm there. Then they dawdle so it will be close. Then when I almost on top of her (guess I should have slowed, but I would obviously miss them) she stops in the middle of my lane, looking at the other side. Holy shit, that was sooo close, I think I brushed her jacket.

Others just think that vehicles will get out of their way, when they are walking on roads

I liked lemmings... I could never finish a level, so satisfied myself with killing the lot in different ways

[fatzx10r]

yeah i know what you mean man. i had some silly bitch run out in front of me not long ago with her kid.she did'nt look, she was lucky i was on a bike and could dodge around her. if i had of been in a car i would of hit them

[Mom]

I have actually hit a pedestrian! Gave me such a fright, one minute happily puttering along when this old farker steps out from between 2 parked cars right in front of me! I saw him coming so was going really slowly but even doing the evasive countersteer to avoid him I got him with my wing mirror.
Not sure who got the biggest shock, him or me really.

[hayd3n]

um since we cant have real loud exhausts any more we should just have our horns running continuously s
o the fuckers see/hear us

[James Deuce]

Just hit them and then go buy a "new" bike with the insurance money.

Yah poofter.

[Flatcap]

Yes - pedestrians are the biggest risk on my commute. Had a couple of near misses, but as long as I stay in 2nd the 2-stroke scream warns them off

[Swoop]

Darwin in action. If they don't look, they deserve to be fuc*ing hit!

Earphone/headphone wearers especially.

[James Deuce]

Remember when SPman practically wrote off his brand new GSXR1000K4 on a pedestrian about 2 minutes after picking it up?

[Dave Lobster]

Fuck.. I've hit LOADS of pedestrians.
Especially fun are the ones that look, see you, and cross anyway, with a look in their eye of you wont hit me, mon. Wrong..

[Mikkel]

Burn them!

I'm kinda wondering - if you were riding on the sidewalk and hit a pedestrian... Would it be possible to have them found at fault?

One place in Chch which is really bad for pedestrians doing dodgy crossings is near the hospital.

[vifferman]

Do they have a death wish?

You'd think so, huh?

I had a very similar experience to you a few years back. Sitting at the lights, I'm at the front, they go green. Get halfway through the intersection, there's a gaggle of pedestrians walking across. I'm only going slowly, but tootle the horn. Two scuttle back to the curb. One carries on, and stops in the middle of the road, between lanes.
That's kewl - I go to the left of her.
Dunno what happened next - maybe it was the traffic whooshing by, or her friends called her. Next thing, when I'm about 2 metres away, she turns to her left (away from me), through 180 degrees, and steps directly in my path. I'm braking, but I have no show, and hit her in the legs. The bike doesn't steer too well with a pedestrian under the front wheel, so it goes down.

Result? Pedestrian with leg badly brukt in two places, gets to have a week's holiday in hospital, and to pay $3800 for the damage to my bike.

[dilz]

fuck,are we doomed to never be seen?!
i hardly enjoy riding in trafick anymore,people need to open there eyes.

[NOMIS]

This happens to me all the time every day when leaving work, I work close to britomart and have to ride my bike through the bus terminal on to customs. the pedestirans think the have the right of way there 1 will go and 10 others follow, it at snail pace so i have bumped a few with the front tyre.

Really gets to you, I mean if I was one of the bus drivers I dont think they will just walk in front huh. Im glad my bike is loud because a 10,000rpm rev and jumping on the horn seems to open up a path like moses opening up the red sea

[Number One]

I agree and fucknuckles in wellington CBD just dare you to run them down...ooo if I had bull bars on the SV I tell you

As a pedestrian I have always been MORE careful since I was 1metre behind a girl as we crossed 'on a pedestrian crossing' there was a bus stopped waiting for us to cross and a little wanker in a CRX decided to bypass round the bus and took her out. He wouldn't have been going terribly fast given the location however, the sound of the car hitting her the memory of her body flying through the air and the sight of her pain and the continued troubles she has had to deal with since the accident haunt me 10 years later....I was lucky that day!