Walking in the streets

I believe that for the longest time automobiles have the right of way on a city street or road and that pedestrians must yield unless crossing at a marked crosswalk or intersection.

I currently reside in a small town and the kids here will do the same thing. There aren't many actual concrete sidewalks in the residential areas. However, they do move to the side of the street when autos approach.

As for the story, the solution, as I see it, would be to mow some of them down so they couldn't pass along their stupidity genes to the next generation.

I read an interesting article that described how in Europe streets have traditionally been viewed as the domain of pedestrians and cyclists who in modern times now allow cars to share the roadway, while in the younger US, the general perception is reversed. Here in the US we seem to take it for granted that streets are for cars, and motorists appear to have no inclination to share.

Miles, I know of many streets in Paris that are barely wide enough to allow an auto to travel along, let alone an auto and a pedestrian at the same time.

@Miles: You're right over here it's like a game of dodge'em 'cause even when there are sidewalks they're usually taken up with trees, parked cars & bikes, and are so narrow you can't walk them anyhow.

The fun part is back in the 70's it was illegal to drive with your lights on at night unless you had an emergency. Things used to get real interesting dodging black robed priests who KNEW they were safe in the arms of Jesus and would test that theory by walking in the middle of the street. Now, add in the booze and it's bumper cars each weekend.

What really bothers me (especially it did in our old "poor" neighborhood .. nuff said) is when people walk in the middle of the street even though there is a perfectly good unobstructed sidewalk on both sides... WHY ??!!

I hate that too!

The irresponsible, lazy kids of that era, listening and watching Elvis singing crazy senseless songs and thrusting his hips in a provocative manner. The four shaggy haired foreign guys driving young girls into a sexual frenzy with loud junk music. Bet the kids walking down the center of the street were puffing on that nasty "Mary Jane" making them crazy and turning them into worthless bums. OMG that was me!

@Gator Guy .. sarcasm is a lost art on most .. thankfully not here on WU

Around here, those kids have grown into "older adults". They still walk in the street in packs and don't care if you are in a car behind them or not (defiant old punks, oh wait I'm their age). I wish we had a mall in this town so they would have somewhere else to walk (besides the walking park we built for of all things - walking).