David’s Blog

No, not little green men from mars. I’m talking about the little green man we all look out for when crossing the road.

I was having a wander around during my lunch break at work the other week. I was crossing over the road using the pedestrian crossing. The light changed, and I felt my legs automatically hurling me into the road and across. At that point, it occurred to me that I hadn’t actually checked that there were no more cars coming.

Since that happened, I’ve noticed quite a few people doing much the same. They’ll stand and stare intently at the pedestrian signal. As soon as that little green man appear, they set off like whippets out of the traps at the dog races. They pay absolutely no attention to whether the traffic approaching has actually stopped.

Sometimes, it’s quite simple, as it’s a crossing on a straight piece of road, so I suppose even in their peripheral vision, it is possible to still see anything oncoming. Even so, it’s a bit of an assumption to make.

Similarly, I’ve noticed an increase in traffic light-controlled roundabouts. These are springing up all over the place, and I’ve found myself driving across them without really looking to my right. ‘It’s OK’ I think to myself - ‘the light will stop them’. All well and good, but a light won’t stop somebody who isn’t paying attention. Same goes for a pedestrian crossing.

I think in future I’ll be looking more closely when I cross.

Picture from Flickr by PhotoOptik