So. I’m calling on your collective wisdom, students. I’m an ancient mom, but I do remember being young. I sometimes think I’m still young at heart, progressive, good-humored, well-meaning and patient. Some things elude me though. This is pretty petty, but I’m curious:
Why, when I’m about to pick up my daughter after school and making my way up the narrow, crowded two-way street with several jam-packed intersections, do great hoards of students walk down the middle of the street, oblivious to me or any other driver, when there is a perfectly functional sidewalk?
My main question is why, when I roll down the window to say something (whether nicely: “I don’t want you to get hurt, sweetie”) or bluntly (get outta the road!) or sarcastically (won’t repeat here) I’m looked at as if I have five heads? Regardless, no one makes a move to hop back onto the sidewalk. And so I wait. What’s the alternative? Manslaughter’s not my thing and (unfortunately) they know it.
When no one’s actually in the road it’s still nerve-wracking because inevitably some jump out without looking just when I think it’s OK to nudge the gas pedal. By the looks of them, many are probably seniors and legal adults (not five-year-olds who haven’t digested the safety lessons yet.)
It doesn’t happen to me often because I try to arrive early before this herd of cats is let loose upon the world. Arriving early prevents me from embarrassing my daughter for being “that mom” (if I didn’t care about her reputation I would just merrily sit on the horn.) But, really! What do you think? Is this behavior just a manifestation of cool? Is it cluelessness? Is it a symptom of lead poisoning from vaping? Is it the stifled and powerless feeling the thrill of controlling the street for a blissful few minutes? I know none of you intelligent CCers would do anything like that, but…enlighten me about the rest? I don’t remember doing anything quite like that as a kid.
Walking in the street draws attention which some teens crave. Some kids act plain stupid. I wouldn’t even bother trying to talk to them because they won’t care.
Yes, they are clueless. They are probably wearing their bluetooth headphones and can’t hear you anyway!
Well, I have to say, it’s not just the kids. To get into or out of my house, there is a two lane divided road (think center planter). I have been “stuck” behind a woman, with head phones on, on rollerblades, doing a dance (think occasional butt wiggle), totally oblivious to me or anyone else on the road. At least she was going with the flow of traffic. For a thankfully brief time, there was a group of freshmen who would walk 4-6 across the “wrong “ way towards me trying to leave to get my kid to middle school in the am. They wouldn’t part until I had stopped and they had no choice. I laugh at the memory now, but it did really annoy me then. Find your own peace with the situation.
If this is a high school on a jam packed street, why not wait at a place a short distance away that is not so jam packed, since she can probably walk there faster than you can drive through the traffic jam to get to the high school?
Good idea, @ucbalumnus , except that the streets are narrow and congested in this old neighborhood for quite a few block with no good place to park and she’s carrying a bulky, 18-lb trombone case and a backpack of almost equal weight some days (and she’s barely 100 lbs herself!) She comes out of the far end of the building so she’s on the tail end of students leaving the building. So the crowds have poured onto the streets by the time she’s out.
Normally it’s not a problem for me…I just arrive at the parking lot early and the one-way route out is not as problematic. I just timed it wrong the other day and was gobsmaked by the extent these walkers “own” the road and just how entitled they seem feel to do so!
Lol, they’ll eventually get their comeuppance. Walking in the road may feel like some big deal control, now, sad to say.