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Bill Sodeman writes about management, mobile computing and information systems

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Welcome to the crosswalk

rant

Posted Sunday, 3 August 2008

More people are walking into downtown Honolulu these days. I’m seeing more bicycles, mopeds, scooters and motorcycles, too.

Seattle has started closing streets to cars, to help protect pedestrians (see Seattle Starts Car-Free Closures).

In most American cities, the car rules supreme, at least until Google reinvents the electric car (see Google Moves to Reinvent Transportation).

In the interest of public safety, we present the following two articles. Read and learn.

Memo To: New pedestrians, In re: Your skills provides a long and handy primer to basic pedestrian and mass transit etiquette and safety with tips like these:

  • The crosswalk will not protect you from cars.
  • Get a bus pass or have your change ready as your board.
  • Try not to bump other people with that big rolling bag or backpack as you…
  • Move to the back of the bus. Please, move to the back of the bus.

NY State Sen. Carl Kruger proposes ban on handheld devices addresses a new social problem: the distracted pedestrian.

  • Don’t send text messages while you walk.
  • Turn down the volume on your iPod so you can hear the traffic. Oh, I said, “TURN DOWN THE…”

Image courtesy of woesis through a Creative Commons license.

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Tags: bus, cars, driving, Honolulu, mass-transit, rail, running, seattle, walking