Watch Out For Non-Drivers

Clear the sidewalk!
Originally uploaded by beuk.

I thought I was going to have to drive to the station this morning when the rain was coming down in buckets. However, me driving is verboten, unless there is a feline accident, or we run out of wine, whichever comes first. Since it was raining and since I haven't driven a car in a year, and have barely driven in seven years, I wasn't that jazzed about having to start up again in heavy rains.

Luckily, the rain stopped and I walked the quick half mile to the station. As I walked, on the sidewalk, I noticed the cars speeding by...and this was in a really residential area. On the corner by the little park, a guy in a Toyota didn't see me and had to stop short. A few minutes later, while trying cross Sound Beach Avenue, I literally had to walk into the middle of the street to let a car know I wanted to cross. How come no one was expecting pedestrians? There are sidewalks and crosswalks. The enclave in tiny. Walking only seems natural.

I thought about all this while I was on the train and figured I was just being cranky. Perhaps my bitterness lay more in my inabilty to drive well than dodging motorists at 8:00 AM.

Then this morning I came across this article about the young bicyclist who was killed Monday while on Houston Street. He on his way to work and sadly became the third person since 2005 to be killed on Houston Street.

My point? If you drive, please expect that people might be walking or biking. I realize people are obsessed with driving, and this is an obsession I have never understood. (This obsession with driving has also led to the obesity problem in America, but I digress.)