Are driving Haligonians actually unable to see pedestrians moving faster than those doing the adolescent shuffle? Is this a genetic/evolutionary trait, or can they just not imagine why anyone would run anywhere if there wasn't a cop chasing them? More to the point, why do drivers give pedestrians, runners in particular, the "sorry, you came out of nowhere" look, when they have just almost run us down then continue to block our way? Here's a tip for y'all, even the ones not talking on their cell phone, drinking coffee, and handing treats to the kids in the back seat: it is a criminal offence to drive without stopping into or through a "safety zone", being the lined pedestrian area marked at most four-way stop intersections (Section 131 Motor Vehicle Act). It is also a criminal offence to drive without stopping across a sidewalk, and/or fail to yield to pedestrians on the sidewalk, when exiting a driveway, alley or building (Section 136 Motor Vehicle Act). The runner is not in the wrong, asshole, you are. Open your flesh-hooded little piggy eyes and yield to the pedestrian, or be prepared to explain to your insurer how you got a size eleven, foot-shaped dent in your car door.

P.Mc