Ped Xing

I recognize that the car is king, especially in So Cal, but it is really appalling sometimes to see how little consideration is given to the pedestrians, at least in the land of all that glitters - Beverly Hills.

I took a jaunt out to the bank yesterday at lunch time.  The trip is .75 miles in each direction, certainly easier to navigate on foot than in a car and I am of course happy for the exercise offset to my daily caloric intake!

In the eight crossings that I had to make (four intersections, twice), I encountered THREE different drivers who would have most certainly hit me had I not stopped and let them through.

I am not a risky crosser in Los Angeles (New York, that is a different story, but I am just fitting in with the locals when I jaywalk there), so it kind of aggravates me to have cars zipping in front of or behind me to dodge me in the crosswalk when I am walking WITH the light. In the most offensive of near-misses, I had to stop mid-street AND do the soccer mom arm for a pedestrian who was coming up behind me.

I would like to say that in my griping I have a solution to this, but I don't.  Consider this fair warning when walking the streets of Beverly Hills and cross the street at your own risk!