By
EWAN KENNEDY
23 April 2007
Went for a long walk this morning as part of my latest vow to
get fit and lose a few kilos around the middle of what used to be a
pleasingly slim body. This time for sure, unlike the umpteen other
occasions where the initial determination to achieve these goals seems
to have worn off rather quickly – or at least that’s my plan!
Mostly it’s possible for me to walk in one of several
decent sized parks close by, but as I wander further afield to relieve
the boredom of seeing the same grass and trees every day it has become
necessary to walk along a reasonably busy road to get to another area.
Not a full-on through road, I avoid these like the
plague, but a road that carries traffic at a typical rate of two to
three vehicles every minute during the morning commuting period. Trouble
was that the daft planners who pen some of the new housing estates often
forget about footpaths (either that or the developers see a chance to
save a quid) so it was necessary to walk on the road.
Which had me watching and philosophising on the
attitudes of drivers towards those on foot. And generally I’m pleased
with what I have seen. The road I walked down is wide and winds around a
bit. Typically drivers take the so-called racing line, not at speed you
understand, it’s just that they obey the natural instinct to
straighten out the curves where safely possible. Yet these drivers were
prompt in getting off line and moving over to give people on foot as
much room as possible.
I've experimented with smiling and giving a mild wave of
acknowledgement to the people that do the right thing, and am delighted
to report that they frequently give me a smile or politely raised hand
in return. Perhaps it’s just a g’day to a neighbour, but I feel its
their recognising my recognition of their courtesy (get it!).
Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to matter if they are
young or old, male or female, in new cars of old bombs, the willingness
to move over to make life easier for a pedestrian seems the same.
There are exceptions, of course. Some drivers appear to
be set on holding their line on the road and pass by closer than I like.
Not dangerously close it must be said, but within my comfort zone. These
guys, and the occasional gal, seem to be suffering from the affliction
of supposed urgency. Or it may be genuine urgency, probably because they
have left home late and are now staring at a missed appointment or late
arrival for a meeting.
Nevertheless, making life awkward for a pedestrian to
trim a few milliseconds off a trip doesn’t really make sense.
A sweeping generalisation here: these drivers in a hurry
seem to favour black cars, and in particular black cars with one of the
prestigious German badges on the front.
I’m talking a small personal sample of
driver/pedestrian experiences here, but it would be interesting to hear
the views of others on the subject.
ewan@marque.com.au
