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Walking In the Street?

1,317 Views | 6 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by AggieBarstool
Jeff99
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This summer I'm noticing a lot of pedestrians walking down the street - sometimes right along the middle stripe, rather than using the sidewalk. It becomes problematic when driving or riding my bike at night and people are wearing dark clothes or walking their dog. I'm noticing this in my immediate neighborhood and adjoining ones, as well.

I've never noticed this before this summer, but it seems like it's becoming the norm, rather than the exception. Anyone know why people are doing this?
oldag941
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AG
First goes your ability to taste, then your ability to smell and then you find yourself walking in traffic. COVID-19
J.P. 03
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AG
My joking-but-kinda-not-joking answer is that at the beginning of COVID, people stayed on the sidewalk and would walk out into the street as they approached someone coming the other way to ensure proper social distancing.

And then the BLM protests started, and people didn't want to be perceived as racists when the approaching pedestrian happened to be black, so they just stayed out in the street the whole time to avoid any awkwardness.
YouBet
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AG
This sounds kind of similar to my post from weekend about Downtown Dallas. With fewer cars on the road, I think people are just taking the streets back.
MGS
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The police stop enforcing laws in the city and people just stop following the rules.
ag88man
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AG
I like to walk at dusk and often end my walk after the sun has set. On residential streets, I move to the street (against traffic). I step up to the sidewalk as traffic approaches. I do this because residential sidewalks are not nearly as even and consistent as the street. I tripped or stubbed my toes many times on residential sidewalks before I started doing this.
Jeff99
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I kinda get the argument about sidewalks not being even, although I walk the streets and have never really noticed it as an issue. I don't think it would bother me nearly as much if pedestrians were walking against traffic consistently.

Tonight, I was riding my bike about 9:30 and a woman (in her 40s) was walking without a light or reflective clothing two feet to the right of the center line of the street...with her phone three inches in front of her face. Even though I have a headlight on my bike, she had no idea I was coming up behind her. I know she was surprised because she jumped two feet in the air when I passed.
AggieBarstool
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I just recently moved to Dallas (from elsewhere in Texas) and the overwhelming majority of the residential neighborhoods I walk in don't have sidewalks, or said sidewalks are very inconsistent. I catch myself walking in the street, but certainly not in the middle of it -- that's just dumb.
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