Skip to content

Crossing the Road Philosophy

Anything can be a lot like the game of rock, paper, scissors, if you try hard enough. At least, it ought to be. I'll use this analogy for my proposed rules for crossing the road. It's a dangerous game, and maybe this idea could make it a bit safer.

Modes of Transportation

We'll consider 3 modes of transportation and each of their interactions:

  1. Pedestrians (walking or running)
  2. Cyclists (bikers, scooters, skateboards, etc.)
  3. Vehicles (cars, trucks, buses, etc.)

Pedestrian and Cyclist

If a pedestrian and a cyclist cross paths, for example if a pedestrian needs to cross a bike path, the pedestrian should have the right of way. The cyclist is more mobile than the pedestrian and can easily go around them. This is especially true on sidewalks, where pedestrians shouldn't feel the risk of getting hit by someone on a bike or skateboard.

Cyclist and Vehicle

Cyclists have no defense against moving vehicles, and it is much more difficult to slow down or speed up on a bike or other human-operated medium of transportation. Vehicles must be constantly on alert for bikes and give them plenty of space. Cyclists should have the right of way over vehicles, and vehicles should stop for them if they are crossing paths.

Pedestrian and Vehicle

This one might be slightly controversial. When pedestrians and vehicles interact, vehicles should have the right of way, unless there is a clearly defined pedestrian "go" signal. For crosswalks without pedestrian right-of-way signals, pedestrians should wait for all cars to pass and a sufficient gap before crossing the street. This is because it is much easier for a pedestrian to stop moving (before crossing the street) than it is for a vehicle to stop moving from its initial speed. When a vehicle stops in the road waiting for a pedestrian to cross, it may create huge traffic snakes and cause unnecessary risk for drivers. Obviously, for intersections with pedestrian right-of-way signals, pedestrians should have the right of way when it is their turn.

Summary

  1. Pedestrian > Cyclist
  2. Cyclist > Vehicle
  3. Vehicle > Pedestrian

The astute reader will notice this is exactly the game of rock-paper-scissors.

  1. Paper > Rock
  2. Rock > Scissors
  3. Scissors > Paper

All Three

What happens when all three modes of transportation interact at an intersection at the same time? Fortunately, we can create a simple rule-of-thumb for this. The least mobile group goes first, followed by each subsequent mobility group. By this, I mean this order:

  1. Pedestrian
  2. Cyclist
  3. Vehicle

Stay safe, and remember to look both ways before crossing the street, no matter which mode of transportation you are using!