Do people get stupid when they enter a parking lot? Or are parking lots just where I am most often exposed to stupidity? Actually, that brings up a second issue which is the people who design parking lots. Why do they put the traffic lane next to the buildings so that everyone has to walk across traffic? Wouldn't it make more sense to put the traffic lane at the far side of the parking lot?
Anyway, when getting groceries today I was once again amazed at how thoughtless people get when in a parking lot. Walking aimlessly diagonally through traffic, walking parallel to traffic on the road. The drivers are no better, often stopping at random times, starting to turn into a parking lane and changing their mind, snarling traffic behind them.
Although parking lots aren't the only place people display such behavior. Outside the building where I work is a T-intersection. For those walking parallel to the terminating road, there is a walk/don't walk sign. If you are walking towards the terminating sign, if you have made it to the median you can proceed safely when the don't walk sign appears because the traffic to the right is stopped while the terminating road turns left behind you. Unfortunately people walking in the opposite direction, will often see the people walking towards them and assume it's safe. Not paying attention to the traffic behind them that is trying to turn left where they are walking obliviously.
I might jaywalk, but I don't jaywalk in a manner than inconveniences traffic that is travelling legally with the right of way. In return I expect traffic to yield to me when I'm in a pedestrian crosswalk and I have the right of way. For some reason the worst offenders of this are public buses.
