New York Minute 135 - Look Both Ways

Manhattan’s streets are narrow, and the majority of them are set up for one way traffic. When pedestrians cross, whether legally or by jaywalking, they tend to check for traffic in the direction from which cars are expected. This is unwise, because hazards can come from any direction. 

I became aware of this years ago when, while I was jaywalking across a busy Midtown street at lunch hour, a food delivery guy crashed into me with his bicycle. Surprise! I wasn’t hurt, but the guy lost his balance and fell, and the food he was carrying went all over the street. Oops! He was rather happy.

The delivery guy had been riding against traffic, which isn’t legal, but cyclists break the rules all the time. The seem to feel entitled to do whatever they can get away with. I didn’t check for traffic in his direction, so I didn’t realize that he was coming when I stepped out into the street. I have to take responsibility or that oversight.

I remembered that lesson, to look both ways even on one way streets, and I think of it whenever I am about to cross. My caution came in handy a couple of months ago. I was about to cross a street that appeared to be empty, when that little voice in my head whispered, “Look both ways!”

I’m glad that I did. A tow truck from the Police Deparrtment came down the street in the wrong direction pulling a minivan behind it. The tow truck’s lights were flashing, but there was no siren or audible warning. But I looked both ways, saw him coming, and stopped short. Getting hit by that rig would not have been as much fun as knocking a food delivery guy off of his bicycle.

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