Walking and dying in the I.E.

Although it referred to crime rather than traffic, there was a joke in the 90s that asked, "What does the typical suicide note in south Florida say?"

I can't take it any more, I'm going out for a walk.

As one who walks a lot in Rancho ('specially now - gas prices dontcha know) I can testify that drivers around here are oblivious to pedestrians. Even when I drive somewhere for shopping, crossing the parking lot reminds me of a side-wise Whack-A-Mole game. Heads up, everyone!

In the interest of justice for all I must add that many pedestrians are oblivious as well. Look around before you step off that curb. Hopefully, I and others will be able to keep on walking instead of riding on a car's hood.

[Pedestrians are such a rare sight here you'd think the novelty of seeing one would make more of an impression on motorists. It's like spotting an emu or something. -- DA]

The story I heard about that scene was that the taxi wasn't supposed to be there. According to an LA Times interview with Dustin Hoffman the movie didn't have a permit to close the street down for filming. They set-up the scene with a hidden camera in a van driving down the street. It took 15 takes, but this time a taxi ran a red light and Dustin Hoffman (gotta love it) stayed in character.

[Yeah, isn't that amazing? Even the little bit after when he says getting hit by a car would make a good insurance scam. Jon Voight just rolled with it. -- DA]

I grew up in the country, without sidewalks, and my mother taught me from early on, that the rule was to always walk on the side of the road that allowed me to face oncoming traffic. I see pedestrians breaking that rule everyday. There is plenty to point out that auto drivers do to put pedestrians in danger, but bicycle riders do not get a pass, either. I have come close to being run down by a bicycle rider, on the sidewalk, more than once.

I once viewed an intoxicated young man do the "Ratso Rizzo" routine on Central ave. while I held my breath. ("Midnight Cowboy" is on my personal list of the best movies of all time. My husband and I viewed it in the old Village Theater in Claremont. The place was packed, and we had to sit in the very front row. People were also sitting in the aisle.)

I have a theory as to why there are more pedestrians getting hit but I can't print it here...

[That's no fun. -- DA]