Jay walking

shreksaurus

What do you all think about jay walking?

Had a driving lesson today and was driving around galway city. It was extremely intense with a lot of people stepping onto the road right in front of me.

I wonder would Ireland ever make jay walking illegal in cities?

Anan1

As long as they look where they're going, I don't really see the problem. I appreciate that it's quite scary when you're learning to drive, but you will get used to it in time.

Delta Kilo

Its really annoying but you just have to be alert at all times...if you hit them it is your fault, regardless if they didn't look or have copious amounts of alcohol in them.

In Germany, they are REALLY strict about jay walking. A friend of mine was told off for walking across the street with a red man, even though their were no cars nearby and the street was really narrow!

Its really different on the continent, the pedestrians actually obey the red man, regardless of amounts of cars. I think it is just Ireland where people can get away with walking across road while texting and listening to music on their iPods.

Son

why is it called 'jay' walking?

Anan1

If it's any help, OP, 99.9% of the jaywalkers you'll encounter during the day are pretty good at it - they'd be hard to hit even if you tried.;)

Henry Ford III

Try jaywalking in Singapore.

markpb

The day jaywalking is made illegal and enforced, most councils are going to have to rethink their policies on pedestrian crosings. At the moment they give priority to cars and force huge delays on pedstrians.

McSpud

In Ireland the Minister will probably introduce a bill to arrest everyone caught but leave it up the Gardai discretion to enforce it. :rolleyes:

For 99% of people it is ok. Today man walked onto the lane next to me but he had some sort of limp so wasn't very mobile to dodge the bus. That & other cases like women with children are stupid.

Buffman

Delta Kilo wrote: »

Its really different on the continent, the pedestrians actually obey the red man, regardless of amounts of cars. I think it is just Ireland where people can get away with walking across road while texting and listening to music on their iPods.

Ye, you can easily identify the tourists here as they'll usually stand there waiting on the green man even if nothing's coming.

OP, you'll get used to this. There's a reason the speed limit is 50.

Our man in Havana

Try jaywalking in Singapore.

Indeed or the USA for that matter. A trip to the station would be in order for offenders.

cianclarke

markpb wrote: »

The day jaywalking is made illegal and enforced, most councils are going to have to rethink their policies on pedestrian crosings. At the moment they give priority to cars and force huge delays on pedstrians.

Er, no they don't - not really... There's only one or two pedestrian crossings which have a crazy-long delay, mainly the one on O'Connell Bridge - other than that it's grand...

biko

When you get more experience you read peoples intentions better, or not
You also learn to anticipate things better, like that people has a tendency to walk out behind parked cars/lorries/buses. You then pay extra attention when passing stationary vehicles in case a child runs out.

markpb

cianclarke wrote: »

Er, no they don't - not really... There's only one or two pedestrian crossings which have a crazy-long delay, mainly the one on O'Connell Bridge - other than that it's grand...

DCC openly admit they have increased timers on pedestrian crossings in an effort to let more cars through the city centre. In some cases the delay is excess of 6 minutes. Compared to other cities in Europe, we come near the top in terms of pedestrian delays.

Saruman

Is it not actually illegal to "jaywalk" with a certain distance of a pedestrian crossing? If there is none then its fine but if you are within 20 feet or something then I am sure I heard that you can be charged with it.

shreksaurus

Buffman wrote: »

There's a reason the speed limit is 50.

I couldn't move today without somebody stepping in front of me. I couldn't do 50km in the city. I was doing about 15km at the very most until I got from the city centre.

leeroybrown

Saruman wrote: »

Is it not actually illegal to "jaywalk" with a certain distance of a pedestrian crossing?

As far as I remember it's 15m but the relevant law is never enforced.

shreksaurus wrote: »

What do you all think about jay walking?

I live and drive in Galway City and don't think there is any specific need to enforce jaywalking laws. Jaywalking is one of the lesser problems for motorists in the city centre. You'll just need to get used to driving safely in close proximity to pedestrians.

shreksaurus wrote: »

I couldn't move today without somebody stepping in front of me. I couldn't do 50km in the city. I was doing about 15km at the very most until I got from the city centre.

As I said above, the pedestrian is only part of the reason. Even if jaywalking laws were enforced it would be unsafe to do 50km/h a lot of the time.

Caliden

Was turning into NUIG this morning and 2 fellas just seemed oblivious that the lights were green for traffic and strolled accross the road as I was turning in. Didnt even try to walk faster, in fact it seemed as if they walked slower.
Regretted not giving them a beep to embarrass them a little but was a little more concerned about not hitting them.

Totally different scenario coming home also when I was stopped at pedestrian lights and they start flashing orange and there are 2 people at the lights waiting to cross.
The van driver behind me seemed to believe flashing orange means 'GO GO GO!!' and gave me a beep. Needless to say I let the pedestrians cross and took my time taking off.

Anan1

shreksaurus wrote: »

I couldn't move today without somebody stepping in front of me. I couldn't do 50km in the city. I was doing about 15km at the very most until I got from the city centre.

That's because a.) you're only learning to drive, and b.) the jaywalkers are aware of this. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it in time.:)

Matt Simis

Delta Kilo wrote: »

In Germany, they are REALLY strict about jay walking. A friend of mine was told off for walking across the street with a red man, even though their were no cars nearby and the street was really narrow!

Its really different on the continent, the pedestrians actually obey the red man, regardless of amounts of cars. I think it is just Ireland where people can get away with walking across road while texting and listening to music on their iPods.

In fairness, on the continent, particularly Germanic countries, people tend to blindly obey laws, any laws, regardless. Respecting the "system" is bred into them and while there are obvious benefits, its indoctrination none the less.

For instance, my other half is Dutch. At ATMs she leave a neat 2m between the current ATM user and her, as is customary (an unwritten law) in Holland. In Ireland people assume you are just one of the biddies that likes to stand "around" ATM queues and step right in front of her.

hmmm

Unfortunately Dublin at least is a pain in the arse for pedestrians to navigate. Pedestrian crossings often make little sense or don't exist, delays are interminable and you are corralled like sheep into overcrowded pens at crossings. If we had a proper walkable city like on the continent people wouldn't feel the need to jaywalk.

Graham_B18C

Try driving outta Fleet st car park and through Temple Bar on a Saturday night! It's as if cars don't exist!

shreksaurus

Anan1 wrote: »

Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it in time.:)

My driving test is next week and i'm hoping the tester wont take me into the city centre. I dont want to ever drive in the city centre again and its something I will not do when i get my full license.

Graham_B18C

shreksaurus wrote: »

My driving test is next week and i'm hoping the tester wont take me into the city centre. I dont want to ever drive in the city centre again and its something I will not do when i get my full license.

It cant be THAT bad is it? I've driven through Galway city and found it fairly ok, in comparison to Dublin anyway

My tester took me to a road outside a primary school at 2.30! There was barely enough for one car to squeeze through all the parked cars, nevermind all the kids. Was a nightmare, kept having to pull in and out using all my mirrors an the whole lot!

I can only assume they try bring the driver somewhere a bit akward during the test?

Matt Simis

shreksaurus wrote: »

My driving test is next week and i'm hoping the tester wont take me into the city centre. I dont want to ever drive in the city centre again and its something I will not do when i get my full license.

Dont be like that. My 65 year old Aunt was like that most of her driving life and only in the latter years start driving in Dublin City, which is the wrong time to start.
Its a part of driving in Ireland, just get good at it. You cant hide from the "city" forever. To be harsh, if you cannot drive near pedestrians then you arent a safe driver. Your issue is merely (presumably?) lack of practice and confidence. Perhaps passing your test with these fears intact and unchallenged is the worst thing that could happen.

Spending more time driving, getting the confidence up then passing on your own terms would put a better driver on our roads.

It BeeMee

Caliden wrote: »

Was turning into NUIG this morning and 2 fellas just seemed oblivious that the lights were green for traffic and strolled accross the road as I was turning in. Didnt even try to walk faster, in fact it seemed as if they walked slower.
Regretted not giving them a beep to embarrass them a little but was a little more concerned about not hitting them.

You should realise that they actually have right of way, not you.

From here :

A green light means you may go on if the way is clear. Take special care if you intend to turn left or right and give way to pedestrians who are crossing. A green light is not a right of way, it is a licence to proceed with caution.

Johnboy Mac

The Jaywalker with the pram is the best. Pram first, so I'll only kill a baby and woman will be safe - great.

chickenhawk

It BeeMee wrote: »

You should realise that they actually have right of way, not you.

From here :

A green light means you may go on if the way is clear. Take special care if you intend to turn left or right and give way to pedestrians who are crossing. A green light is not a right of way, it is a licence to proceed with caution.

You actually think the two lads knew that and weren't just walking cause they knew the cars had to stop! :rolleyes:

Del2005

shreksaurus wrote: »

What do you all think about jay walking?

Had a driving lesson today and was driving around galway city. It was extremely intense with a lot of people stepping onto the road right in front of me.

I wonder would Ireland ever make jay walking illegal in cities?

markpb wrote: »

The day jaywalking is made illegal and enforced, most councils are going to have to rethink their policies on pedestrian crosings. At the moment they give priority to cars and force huge delays on pedstrians.

McSpud wrote: »

In Ireland the Minister will probably introduce a bill to arrest everyone caught but leave it up the Gardai discretion to enforce it. :rolleyes:

For 99% of people it is ok. Today man walked onto the lane next to me but he had some sort of limp so wasn't very mobile to dodge the bus. That & other cases like women with children are stupid.

It is illegal to jay walk in this country. Remember the O'Connel Street chase from a few years ago? Several Gardai running down a jay walker in the middle of Dublin traffic. Since then I think they have given up enforcing the law.

OP you'll become more used to jay walkers the more you drive, sounds like you could do with more road experience then getting lessons for the test.

Berty

The Question was asked why the word Jaywalking.

According to one historian, the earliest known use of the word jaywalker in print was in the Chicago Tribune in 1909.[2] (The earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1917.) The term's dissemination was due in part to a deliberate effort by promoters of automobiles, such as local auto clubs and dealers, to redefine streets as places where pedestrians do not belong.[3] It is a compound word of the words jay and walk; "jay" refers to a foolish rural person—a rube—unfamiliar with city ways. No historical evidence supports an alternative folk etymology by which the word is traced to the letter "J" (characterizing the route a jaywalker follows).

TwoShedsJackson

Johnboy Mac wrote: »

The Jaywalker with the pram is the best. Pram first, so I'll only kill a baby and woman will be safe - great.

I think the logic here is the same as the 'Baby on Board' stickers - 'Look I have a child here, A CHILD!!!! so don't dare hit me!! I know you'd be thinking about deliberately hitting me if I didn't have this child here!!!'

woody33

And people coming out of Mass have right of way because they will go straight to heaven.

Anan1

chickenhawk wrote: »

You actually think the two lads knew that and weren't just walking cause they knew the cars had to stop! :rolleyes:

Surely anyone with a full license should know that?

chickenhawk

Anan1 wrote: »

Surely anyone with a full license should know that?

How do you know that the two lads have full licenses?

Anan1

chickenhawk wrote: »

How do you know that the two lads have full licenses?

I don't. I was just pointing out that you can't assume this:

chickenhawk wrote: »

You actually think the two lads knew that and weren't just walking cause they knew the cars had to stop! :rolleyes:

Berty

Jaywalking,

Does being a scumbag and marching out in front of traffic count as Jaywalking or just being a god damn scumbag?

It BeeMee

Berty wrote: »

Jaywalking,

Does being a scumbag and marching out in front of traffic count as Jaywalking or just being a god damn scumbag?

In the ideal world, it would count as "target practice"

It BeeMee

chickenhawk wrote: »

You actually think the two lads knew that and weren't just walking cause they knew the cars had to stop! :rolleyes:

My point wasn't whether the two guys walking knew it or not, but that the driver in the original post should have known.

townale

It drives me crazy. I can't stand the fella who just struts out in front of me forcing me to slow down or stop altogether..

I like to step on the clutch then floor it. That usually puts a spring in his step.:D

McSpud

Berty wrote: »

Does being a scumbag and marching out in front of traffic count as Jaywalking or just being a god damn scumbag?

See them all the time in Dublin city. Its like a game of chicken with the car. They don't just move out when a gap in traffic as they seem to try to move cross in between moving cars.

Anan1

townale wrote: »

It drives me crazy. I can't stand the fella who just struts out in front of me forcing me to slow down or stop altogether..

I like to step on the clutch then floor it. That usually puts a spring in his step.:D

Depends where you are. In Dalkey village it used to be generally accepted that cars would yield to pedestrians, then the Posh & Becks brigade moved in and they had to build a pedestrian crossing.

irisheddie85

I drive in galway all the time the pedestrians in the city centre are pretty predictable and are only really bad at a few spots where the pedestrian bits end.
Check what time your test is at and drive around town at this time. It makes a huge difference to what sort of driving you have to do
i.e. before 12 not many pedestrians lots of parked trucks,
Round 2.30/3.00 school run suvs everywhere
The test will be okay if you relax and do as much driving not just lessons as you can between now and when it is

Caliden

It BeeMee wrote: »

You should realise that they actually have right of way, not you.

From here :

A green light means you may go on if the way is clear. Take special care if you intend to turn left or right and give way to pedestrians who are crossing. A green light is not a right of way, it is a licence to proceed with caution.

So you're saying I dont need to bother press the pedestrian light at crossings anymore and can just walk out in front of oncoming traffic?

The 2 lads weren't even on my side of the road when I was turning in yet they seemed oblivious to me and kept walking so I had to hit the breaks otherwise they probably wouldve got clipped by my wing mirror.

I'm well aware pedestrians have right of way but what happened was a joke.


To the poster who is doing their test in galway city, be caureful of Foster street. The line of taxi's there is a joke and some of them dont even check their mirrors before pulling out.

Anan1

Caliden wrote: »

So you're saying I dont need to bother press the pedestrian light at crossings anymore and can just walk out in front of oncoming traffic?

The 2 lads weren't even on my side of the road when I was turning in yet they seemed oblivious to me and kept walking so I had to hit the breaks otherwise they probably wouldve got clipped by my wing mirror.

I'm well aware pedestrians have right of way but what happened was a joke.

I don't really follow you - you accept that the pedestrians had right of way but feel that they should have yielded to you anyway?

Graham_B18C

townale wrote: »

It drives me crazy. I can't stand the fella who just struts out in front of me forcing me to slow down or stop altogether..

I like to step on the clutch then floor it. That usually puts a spring in his step.:D

Thats what I do! But I only rev it for a sec to give em a little warnin then I floor it without the clutch! I hate scumbags!

It BeeMee

Caliden wrote: »

So you're saying I dont need to bother press the pedestrian light at crossings anymore and can just walk out in front of oncoming traffic?

No, if there are pedestrian lights then they have to be used.

Caliden wrote: »

The 2 lads weren't even on my side of the road when I was turning in yet they seemed oblivious to me and kept walking so I had to hit the breaks otherwise they probably wouldve got clipped by my wing mirror.

If they were on the road already, then they had right of way.