tim's Bits and Pieces - 49. Killers

I totally agree, drivers need to be more careful. Where I live it seems that those numbers on the side of the road are speed SUGGESTIONS not limits.  Drivers pass someone doing the limit like we are standing still, flipping us the bird because we are impeding their progress.

But pedestrians also need to use that grey mass inside their skulls!  There is a Hasidim community within the sphere of my daily travels. They wear all black, with dark hair, black or dark fur hats, black trench coats. From sunset Friday to sunset Saturday they walk everywhere, not looking before crossing, stepping out from between parked cars, doing what they call "following the lines".  While I am not sure WHY they do this, at least I am aware that if an overhead wire does not cross at the crosswalk but in the middle of the block, that is where a religious family will cross.

Taking steps to be seen? Not in the Hasidim community I speak of.  A few years back there was a movement to replace the belts of their trench coats with reflective orange ones, giving us drivers half a chance of seeing them.  The entire community went ballistic, calling those of us who supported the reflective belt anti Semites, that we were trying to take away an important part of their lives and traditions.  Sorry dude, but just the opposite! I was trying to PROTECT your life!

tim, you say what you feel so well, I often feel you are wasted on us here at GA. You should be offering your stuff to so many more people than you can reach here!

3 hours ago, Parker Owens said:

Your poem resonates deeply with me; my students encounter roads and crosswalks several times a day, every day. These tragedies could happen to any one of us. Who are we becoming? 

Yes, who are we becoming?  Thanks, Parker.

3 hours ago, Brayon said:

That is beyond heartless and a travesty. Driving around someone laying in the road, I can't even.

Your poem, tim, was amazing as you usually do them. The subject matter that inspired it is heartbreaking, and just beyond words.

Thanks for reading, A. xo

2 hours ago, Kitt said:

 

tim, you say what you feel so well, I often feel you are wasted on us here at GA. You should be offering your stuff to so many more people than you can reach here!

Thanks, Kitt.  i post in a couple of other places too.  thanks for you great comments. xo

1 hour ago, dutch woman said:

In the Netherlands this is done more often. Also on zebra crossings, especially the elderly.

It is like the climate. Everybody wants it better but only a few are willing to do something for it.

 

that's the sad fact of our world ... thank you very much for your comments

37 minutes ago, mayday said:

not beyond Tim's words, though...

Thank you, you're very kind.  xo

tim this is a sad but truthful poem. People are not focused on the task at hand - if they are in the car they are texting / talking / yelling at kids in the car and not really focused on the driving which is a shame. You can see people getting hit on bikes or motorcycles. So thanks again for a sad, but truthful poem. Well done again my friend.

this story breaks my heart tim, that other people wouldn't stop to see what they could do

thank you for sharing it, & your poem with us

1 hour ago, rickproehl said:

tim this is a sad but truthful poem. People are not focused on the task at hand - if they are in the car they are texting / talking / yelling at kids in the car and not really focused on the driving which is a shame. You can see people getting hit on bikes or motorcycles. So thanks again for a sad, but truthful poem. Well done again my friend.

i think we are all to blame ... i think we need to change how we think of cars. That old lady killed was not in a crash, she was hit by someone driving a huge, powerful machine. This wasn't an accident, it wasn't dropping a milk bottle. We need to be more responsible, and thoughtful, as you say, whether driving or walking.

38 minutes ago, mollyhousemouse said:

this story breaks my heart tim, that other people wouldn't stop to see what they could do

thank you for sharing it, & your poem with us

it's all awful, but that is what upset me most... that people just went on by..  thanks molly xo

23 minutes ago, Wayne Gray said:

It's hard in times like this to "Look for the helpers".  I try, but it's hard.

Sad poem, tim.  Well done, but sad.

Thanks very much, Wayne. xo

Driving is not a right. 

It is a skill. We are licensed to perform this.

But, personally, I think people should be tested more often than once. I think we should have to prove we can still pass the test every two years. We should prove we are skilled enough to maneuver a motor vehicle with others safely on our roads.

I learned a lot of things as a cop … and how to drive well was one of them.

I read the list of people who have been killed in the city over the last year. It is sad and horrific. We should be ashamed of these numbers. It is time to change and to do better.

Be mindful. 

It amazes me how callous humans can be. We're capable of such cold disregard of others. It's heartbreaking. But then, in stark contradiction, we're also capable of great compassion and love. Wish more people would make an effort toward the latter. And yeah... Some people really should not be driving. Thank you for sharing this, tim. As a pedestrian myself, I've become lazy living in a city where most people are very mindful of traffic regulations. I think maybe I needed a reminder to take more care. 

12 minutes ago, Thorn Wilde said:

It amazes me how callous humans can be. We're capable of such cold disregard of others. It's heartbreaking. But then, in stark contradiction, we're also capable of great compassion and love. Wish more people would make an effort toward the latter. And yeah... Some people really should not be driving. Thank you for sharing this, tim. As a pedestrian myself, I've become lazy living in a city where most people are very mindful of traffic regulations. I think maybe I needed a reminder to take more care. 

Toronto used to be known as, Toronto the Good.  Not so much now.  I walk a lot. People turn so close behind me some i can feel the air pushed by their car. I don't walk so quickly anymore and that kind of thing is disturbing.

Thanks Thorn, xoxo

Chilling!!! This seems to be a rising problem everywhere!! It seems like every week I hear on the news that someone else, walking along, minding there own business is hit by a car and the driver leaves them there on the side of the road. The most recent incident happened on Wednesday the day before Thanksgiving. A grandmother of 11 was taken from her family. 2 weeks before a teenager, got impatient because there was a school bus in front of him, drove up on the sidewalk and hit 2 little girls and their step father. Thank goodness they all survived but impatience is not the reason that a person should lose their life. 😢Thank you for this.