Is it just me or is it that pedestrians have no regard for traffic signals nowadays,just the other day, I was driving north on La salle, At the corner of Kinzie and Lasalle , I had the green light and this woman was crossing against the green light,I blew my horn at her so that I could make the light before it changes to red and get a ticket because it is photo enforced, She stood in the middle of the road and glared at me daring me to run her over, I pointed to the light and she just ignored my gestures and got back to talking on the phone and slowly crossed the street. I know a lot of drivers must have noticed this and it is very frustrating when somebody crosses against the light and took their time in doing it .
The mayor just presented his 2008 budget and he is looking for ways to get revenue, some of his proposals include,increasing traffic fines,property taxes,bottled water taxes etc. How about enforcing the jaywalking laws, The city stands to make at least $50 million in fines. All you have to do is look at what pedestrians do at rush hour times and on michigan av. Have you tried to go west on ontario lately from michigan.It is near impossible to make it before the light changes
It is very unfair for the city to choose which laws to enforce. Cabdrivers pay a lot of fines in traffic tickets and some deservedly so. It is only fair for the city to bring all law breakers to justice. Jaywalkers are lawbreakers and they should be treated accordingly.
trouble is that some jerkos like to taunt us and walk when the light is green for us. you have to take it but it sure is frustrating. jaywalking laws should be enforced.
also when people walk against the lite because they are so arrogant and they think taxicab drivers will stop.
Let me expand on what my friend Ted was trying to express. He was, of course, joking when he said to run over the woman. He's trying to pointedly express that sometimes people are more concerned about themselves, whether it be as a jaywalker or a pedestrian "in the right"-of-way than concerned about the possibility that the vehicle, whether it be a cab, car, or truck, just might not be able to stop.
I had a similar incident where a obviously affluent but ignorant gentleman stepped in front of the cars turning left with the arrow onto Chestnut from Michigan Avenue and INSISTED on continuing in the path of a car that came THIS CLOSE to setting a date for his funeral, and then he had the gall to point at the lights which were, obvious to all, against him.
The point is, that even if he was proceeding properly (which he was NOT), he's an idiot to insist on stepping in front of a moving vehicle which can easily end his life in an instant, which makes whatever guilt on the part of the driver relatively irrelevant.
I'm not even gonna start about the situation during the rush hours on the bridges west of Wacker, 'cause those pedestrians are professional jaywalkers... we cabdrivers couldn't hit them if we tried! Despite us looking like a bunch of bulls, these professional daredevil roadcrossers are matadors who could make us look like fools if we tried to charge at them one way or the other!
You are a professional driver. At least you are supposed to be. If you think the best way to deal with jay walkers is to run them over then you should not be driving a taxicab. Stop talking. Stop driving.
I didn't mean Charles Wesson's thinking, I meant the pale imitation of the human thought process some of these ig-noids who post this offensively low-brow foolishness and try to pass it off as humor.
"Professional drivers" do not ever consider hitting pedestrians.
If I ever thought of hitting a pedestrian in any context other than "DO NOT HIT A PEDESTRIAN FOR ANY REASON," I would not admit it.
I could be wrong. Maybe Ted and Mike have license to kill.
Where do I apply for a license to kill? Do licensed killer need to be re-educated in the profession of killing every two years to remain licensed or can being a certified killer, day in, day out, constitute sufficient experience to be exempt from retraining.
-MIKE FOULKS
P.S. What is the maximum allowable rate to charge as a licensed killer?