The Pedestrian’s Manifesto, published in the most recent issue of The Scope, covers a lot of ground. From the expected who we are and why we’re mad, to the here’s what we see improving and here’s what we’d like to see further improved, the Manifesto goes a long way towards making the plight of the pedestrian in St. John’s known.
As a full time pedestrian who was once struck by a car while crossing the street, I have to say this was a long time coming. While I’ve no doubt the authors of the Manifesto have their hearts in the right place, some of what they’re both claiming and proposing feels more like a step backwards than one in the right direction.
Take this shot at city council for example:
But as city council repeatedly congratulated themselves for being at the helm of a city that was selected by the Conference Board of Canada as one of the best six Canadian cities for migrants to settle in, we couldn’t help but shake our heads.
Most of the newcomers we spoke with were appalled by the snowy, dangerous sidewalks and the crappy public transit system.
Really? Considering most of the recent influx of immigrants to St. John’s come from far sunnier climes, is it any wonder they’d be appalled by the sight of snow, any snow, in their path?
There’s no question that our winter sidewalks can be treacherous. Using the perspective of the newly arrived immigrant to prop up your side of the argument just seems a little Mooreish.
I’m behind the Manifesto’s list of demands 100%. Their advice to council to “imagine it as if the tourist season occurred from November to March,” is a clever way of getting their point across. But when it comes to describing what the authors will do to take action as pedestrians, I’m in a mix of support and strong disagreement.
We will be more aggressive towards careless drivers.
We will take note of license plate numbers and report them to the police.
We will start a web forum where we post your plate numbers.
We will scream and cause a scene in the middle of intersections.
Rocks?
We will hang up on people who call us while driving.
We will take our space and cross the street and expect drivers to stop, instead of huddling at the corners, waiting for someone to let us cross.
And we will stop waving in thanks to those who do. As Pedestrians, we have the right of way at all times.
You are required to stop.
Actions like publishing license plate numbers and hanging up on drivers, I can get behind. But rocks? Rocks? Beyond being dangerous and illegal, throwing rocks at cars (what else could they be suggesting?) is a great way to further increase the divide between the plight of the pedestrian and that of the motorist. As are causing a scene at intersections and jaywalking.
And as for no longer waving in thanks to drivers who let us cross, while doing so may not be an obligation it certainly is polite. More importantly, it would serve as a good way to strengthen the relationship between pedestrians and drivers.
Isn’t that a large part of what this Manifesto ought to be about?
You’re far more likely to consider the needs of your friend than your enemy. While I take the point that many motorists tend to treat us like the latter, I believe the Manifesto, and the pedestrians it represents, would be far better served if it made strides towards changing rather than encouraging this unfortunate, counter-productive tendency.
[image via J.A. Alcaide's flickr]
When Stacey Tuttle, winner of The Scope’s Best of St. John’s award for 
The Scope recently quizzed as many of the upcoming 24HAM participants as they could find in the quest to learn their hopes and dreams for this year’s event.