There was a time when I did not have a car. During that time, I felt that as a student all of the campus was mine, including the roads.
I did not care about the laws of physics; I knew that if I walked out in front of a Mack truck it would stop so I could cross the street.
I did not care where the motorist was going or how late he would be, I would walk in front of him and across the street if that was what I wanted to do.
So, I would like to begin by apologizing to everyone and anyone who was driving a car if I stepped out in front of your car and into the street. Only now that I have a car and have moved off campus do I see the error of my ways.
I am reminded of these errors every day on my way to work. I take Lakeshore Drive to work, and it always has the potential to be the perfect start to my day.
The scenery is beautiful, and there are always runners, bikers and women pushing strollers along the lake, enjoying the scenery. Now it would seem that these pedestrians would make use of the ample sidewalk, path or side of the road (the part beyond the curb), but they do not. And I fail to understand why.
Though not much of a runner or walker – and I have no one to push in a stroller – I have tried to understand why these people would want to put themselves in harms way.
Perhaps there is not enough sidewalk for everyone, maybe the ground is too uneven for them to run on, or maybe the view is best from the road. These all seem to be logical reasons for being on the road instead of the sidewalk.
Regardless, it seems that pedestrians should move out of the way when cars pass by.
But they do not. In fact, instead of moving over, even a few feet in most cases, the pedestrians boldly remain in the street. As if playing chicken with the motorists, they try to see who will move first.
I thought that perhaps this phenomenon was limited only to the runners along Lakeshore, but every time I try to venture anywhere on campus in a car, pedestrians come from every direction, crossing the street in front of me whenever and wherever they please.
Riding the bus or driving a car anywhere on campus and trying to be a cautious driver and follow the speed limits and obey traffic signs becomes a daunting task because one, two or even 50 people are subject to dart out in the street every three seconds.
So instead motorists are often forced to throw caution and courtesy to the wind and speed through crosswalks and beyond pedestrians so they too can get wherever they have to go.
Now each of us is a pedestrian at some point or another. When I am a pedestrian I sympathize with pedestrians. But as a motorist I feel sympathy for everyone who I ever made late, ticked off or contributed to the deterioration of their brakes.
LSU is a walking campus. But the walkways extend across major traffic thoroughfares.
This creates a problem, but there has to be a way for both pedestrians and motorists to be able to move freely and without endangering themselves or anyone else.
Until we get a monorail, block off more streets or build walkways over them.
Both pedestrians and motorists should be more courteous. Motorists should make campus as friendly as possible for pedestrians.
In turn, pedestrians should respect the size and speed of the vehicle and the person driving it and move over, or wait to cross the street.
We all have to get somewhere, and most of us would prefer to get there without stopping by the hospital first.