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Jaywalking: The Brits Don't Get It
In case you missed it, a British professor found himself wrestled to the ground after jaywalking in Atlanta last week. It brought a giant smile to my face to read this, not because of the thought of this man being accosted in this way. Rather, it's because I know from personal experience that Brits don't like the entire concept of jaywalking at all. In fact, a jaywalking ticket issued to my British wife led directly to me writing this post here in cold, rainy England at the moment rather than warm, sunny, glorious Southern California. Let's deal with the professor first. He jaywalked. A plain-clothed officer stopped him. There were demands for ID from both sides. The professor ended up on the street, pinned down by multiple officers and eventually spent eight hours in jail. There are claims of exaggeration by both sides. My story -- or that of my wife's -- is different. I've been granted permission to communicate her tale. Back when we lived in Southern California, we often shopped at Triangle Square in Costa Mesa (a square that's a triangle? Yes, it's a triangular shaped mall. Deal with it). It's either dead or dying now. But in its heyday, there were tons of shops, including a Gap.
Parking at Triangle Square sucked. No one likes going into the parking structure. Instead, it was common to park across the street in a big shopping center's lot. Then people would run across the street to the stores. Costa Mesa disliked this. They stuck of barriers trying to prevent you from doing it. Instead, they wanted people to walk a fairly long distance (for Southern California, like 100 to 200 feet or so) to a signal controlled crossing at either end of the block. My wife, like many others, didn't do this on the day in question. She ran across the street and found a swimming suit (excuse me, swimming costume) on sale at an excellent price. Thrilled with the money she'd saved, she jaywalked again in a state of shopping bliss. That abruptly ended with a Costa Mesa police officer issued her a jaywalking ticket. Gone was the savings on the suit. I think the ticket cost her like $60. But more important, she declared the entire concept of jaywalking insane and the US crazy for having it. Perhaps I slightly exaggerate. But we'd talked about heading back to the UK to live for some time. This was a defining moment when she said that she wanted to go back now. See, Brits just aren't rational about it. That's my theory. Think I'm off the mark. Check it out: What every Brit should know about jaywalking. That's just out from no less than the BBC, trying to help the Brits understand the crazy ways:
Mind you, try to cross some of the actual intersections in Ken Livingstone's London and you'll go insane. Giant metal fence route you away from natural crossing points, because these aren't deemed safe. And heaven help the pedestrian who fails to realize that you have no right-of-way in Britain. Ironically in car-crazy California, pedestrians have the right-of-way even if they were stupid enough to end out in the middle of the street. In the UK, cars just pull out on sidewalks in front of you without hesitation. It drives me crazy. But not as crazy as jaywalking to the Brits, it seems. By Danny Sullivan on Jan. 16, 2007 | PermalinkSee related posts in: America, Life In Britain
Next Post: Writing Styles: What's Fun & Not Comments Comment by Mr SEO | January 16, 2007 3:17 AM In Austria people will sit at a cross walk light waiting for it to turn green in the middle of the night on a back road with no cars around. I'm not sure if the cops enforce jaywalking offenses there, but the people there sure take it seriously and will even sneer a little bit if they see you jaywalk. Comment by CaptainObvious | January 16, 2007 2:43 PM Danny I feel your pain. I am a So Cal resident with a European wife - Austria. To my loving extended family I am the crazy American, having to answer for all the silly goings on in the U.S. and especially for us nutty Californians. My Mother and Father in law are great people and they, like many Euro’s, enjoy their drink and smoke. So one night while in an old town San Diego pub my father having a snifter of Cognac lights up a smoke and is promptly told to put it out or go outside. He goes outside with his drink to have the smoke, and is told he can’t drink outside, but he can smoke outside. A few minutes pass and I notice he has disappeared. Later I find out he had to sneak out behind the bar amongst the trash cans to enjoy his drink and smoke together. I routinely get asked by my extended family if America is so free, why do we have so many damn rules? You can’t smoke in public, you can’t drink, you can’t drive fast, you can’t show a breast on the beach and you can’t even reprimand your children without the fear of the parent police calling 911. That’s not a free country! My own run in with the law Yes, I feel your pain Danny, but no matter how ridiculous the laws and the people San Diego will always be my home. Discovery Comment by Discovery | January 16, 2007 3:01 PM I moved to the States from Scotland 20 years ago. My one and only brush with the law took place during my first week here. I just parked my car and saw my mates on the other side of the street and ran across to join them as there was no traffic in sight. Enter policeman "allo allo, wot 'ave we here then" (or American equivalent) I proceeded to get a 15 minute lecture on jaywalking. I had never even heard of it. Luckily he let me off with a warning and not a ticket. (I think it had something to do with the fact that he couldn't understand a word I said!!) All part of the joy of learning to live in a different culture I suppose. Comment by James - Elixir Systems | January 16, 2007 5:39 PM I've never completely understood the reasoning for jaywalking rules as they're applied in the US. Yes, I understand and agree with the times when a pedestrian walks out in front of cars on a busy street -- they should be written tickets then. But, I've seen cops write tickets when no other vehicles are in site, or during nighttime hours when downtown streets are all but deserted. What's the rationale for that? I think if we're going to have jaywalking laws, they should be quite a bit more specific to when/where they're needed. Perhaps signs should be posted in busy downtown areas that state that it's a jaywalking enforcement zone or something. Comment by Silver I had an interesting jay walking experience in Germany. When I had first moved there (and barely spoke any German yet), I was blissfully jaywalking and a mother (with two kids on tow) started yelling loudly at me. I didn't quite understand what she was saying, but let's just say it wasn't a friendly greeting. I later learned that, at least in Germany, it's not necessarily awful to jaywalk, but heaven help you if you do so in front of (impressionable) children. Comment by Adam You've got to realize that in America they give out stupid tickets like those for jaywalking to raise revenue, not for safety. Think of it as being an arbitrary tax. Comment by Rich | February 1, 2007 6:44 PM "In the UK, cars just pull out on sidewalks in front of you without hesitation." That's right. Unfortunately, in some places, once the pedestrian steps off the curb, they're in play! Comment by diego | March 1, 2007 6:47 AM Want to comment? If you are signed into TypeKey, you'll see a form below. No form? Click on the sign-in link below, and you can sign-in or sign-up for a free account. Sorry you have to use TypeKey, but I use it to avoid comment spam. All comments currently appear automatically after posting.
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Wow! Being from Brooklyn, NY I only know how to Jaywalk. Around here it is the only way to get around. Glad they don't enforce it around here.