A weird thing people do

When I got to school today, I noticed something and had to laugh first at how I thought the people in front of me were stupid then later, myself for doing the same thing.

It happens at intersections. Some intersections in Edmonton are becoming technologically advanced and besides the hand signal, they inform you how many seconds you have until the light is going to change. However, this is not common in less busy intersections. At other intersections, it's a guessing game. Some people will only cross when the walk sign is on, others don't care...their lives be damned. Those are the extremes and most people fall into the middle group that I will now describe.

People want to do things the quickest possible, with the least effort. That also includes crossing the street. There is nothing more annoying than waiting at an intersection with the feeling that if you had just put a bit more hussle in your step you could have made it across the street. As a result, you could have made it to your destination that couple of minutes earlier....how devastating.

How have people solved this problem? I like to call it the microburst. People have decided that if they can make it to an intersection while the light is flashing they are safe. So what people will do is they see that the crosswalk is available and notice that they are a good 30-50 feet from the intersection. They think to themselves, "Now if I can only make it to the road before it starts flashing". So they do a sprint/jog/walk to get to the road in the time needed. It's hilarious when you see people in high heels, people with heavy backpacks, people who have not sprinted in 30 years all put that extra effort to get to the light. None of these people do it gracefully like a runner.

Here is the catch though. All people then feel safe making it to the intersection while the light is flashing. They all abandon the microburst and then begin walking while actually crossing the road. This means that in all likelihood they will be in the intersection when the light changes colour. Yet nobody cares. They are in the intersection and for all intents and purposes, they have made it and are safe.

I suggest you check this out next time you are at intersection.