So, long back in Groningen (The Netherlands, 2002) I was standing at a zebra crossing and waiting to cross. A car stopped some way back. I waited for it to pass (using my India logic, the car should go first or so I thought!) and the driver kept peering at me. I peered at the driver some more. He peered back at me, with no one moving. Then the driver decied to proceed with caution and went past me, giving me curious glances. I could not figure out what was happening. Then I went to meet a professor at the University of Groningen and he dropped me back to the city center. We were crossing a road together and when a bus made merest of a motion he said to me, “He seems to be in such a hurry!” It was then I realized that buses are supposed to wait for pedestrians. And then I understood the puzzlement of the car driver at my standing still like a statue.
Next year, I was in Italy (University of Moedna, 2003) and I was discussing the same incident with a person at the conference I had gone to attend. He cautioned me, “Don’t expect that here, be very careful when you cross.” And it was sound advice! Even though Italians are nowhere near us Indians they do tend to gun their motors and try to scare you when the light turns green.
Then many years later (2007, 2008) I was in UK and pedestrian crossings in Oxford were quite peaceful. London I felt was a little different. People will be very patient till the light is red but let it become yellow and you should start getting out of the way. They tend to get impatient if they find pedestrians in their way after yellow light.
And in India you just have to trust your eyes and not any light or anything else when you are at a pedestrian crossing.
What is the experience like in the place where you live?
Mumbai: Like anywhere in India, but traffic rules are followed better (they say)Canada: Pedestrians have right of way. Not just on zebra crossings (they dont have such) but anywhere on streetIsrael: Like IndiaRussia: Like India, but slightly betterBhutan: Like India
A friend (first time in the US) and myself were about to cross the street in Salt lake city, Utah last week, when a car zipped past us. The driver immediately realised his mistake and apologized – my friend is yet to recovere from the shock of seeing a driver apologize to a pedestrian! :))
Priyank, thanks for sharing your list. I somehow thought Israel would be different and more disciplied but now I know better.Chintu, I can imagine quite well how your friend is feeling 😀
In the US, it is an unspoken rule that pedestrians have a right of way anywhere. Drivers are more patient in small towns, but not so much in NYC and LA.My pet peeve in India is pedestrians crossing an expressway. I am zooming at 60-80kmph and a pedestrian chooses to cross the road exactly at a place where the street light is out. It makes me so mad.People here have such a careless “Nothing will happen to us” attitude!
Vamsee yes it is true the other way round too that anywhere we drive we have to keep an eye for the pedestrians as they can appear from anywhere.
I know what you mean! I remember the adjustment period when I first moved to the US.
And it would be so different again if you come and visit India Bindu!
In Switzerland, it’s flat out dangerous for a driver. Pedestrians don’t pay attention to drivers and don’t even look at them before stepping down from the sidewalk. And they have the right to do so. As a driver, you loose your driver’s licence if you don’t stop.In Canada, they have the right of way – but it’s not as strict as it is in the Netherlands or Switzerland.
Thanks for sharing Fida. And of course you know how it is in India!
Actually its pretty bad in the NY city and New Jersey area. The cars never stop for pedestrians (and we are surprised and grateful if they do. When we were visiting seattle, we were getting puzzled looks from people inside the cars for thanking them for stopping.
Thanks for Sharing Srividya.