Crossing the Street

Something I've noticed...

Here in London, but also in larger cities like Vancouver and Victoria (and even Barcelona), there's a certain way groups of people move across crosswalks. It's consistent, with little variation (albeit some). I'm talking about a large-ish group of people standing at the side of the road, at a light-controlled crosswalk which is red. How people get across that street (and when) depends on various factors, but primarily it comes down to familiarity with the city; it's a matter of not being comfortable knowing which direction the cars are coming from. For some, though, I think there's a sense of doing what you're told, when you're told to do it (these are people who wait for the little green man to tell them they can walk, regardless of how long they stand at an empty and quiet street corner).

Generally, there are four waves:

Wave 1: The Locals
    I would also include experienced travelers in this group, as they tend to absorb "localisms" quicker than your random vacationer. Locals are on the move, and efficient about it. They look both ways (or just the correct direction) six or seven steps before they even reach the crosswalk, so they can adjust their pace to skip through the oncoming traffic. They don't wait any longer than they absolutely have to.

Wave 2: The People Who Watch The Locals
   These are the folks who are paying attention to everyone around them. They see the locals go for it, and wonder what the heck they are still doing standing there! These ones will take a quick look both ways, making sure it's STILL safe, then jet across just behind Wave 1.

Wave 3: The Partners
   These ones pay MUCH less attention. They only go when they realize their companion(s) are already across the street. There's a startled look on their faces as they realize they've been left behind, then slight irritation passes over until they too run across the street. By this time, the light has changed anyway, and they look silly twice-over, because now they're running like it's red, and it's already changed to green.

Wave 4: The Tourists
   There's always one final wave of tourists who stare in awe at the people who have gone before them (because most of the members of the first 3 waves arrived at the light AFTER this group). But rather than jump on the bandwagon, they've patiently stuck it out and waited for the light to turn green, because, after all, that's the RIGHT thing to do. It's the SAFE thing.

And really, does it matter? Do any of us really get anywhere that much quicker? Nope. But we feel more efficient about our travel when we walk like the locals. And we can smugly (because, after all, this is London) look down upon those who stand and wait like fools.

I wonder if there is any correlation between my theory and pedestrians getting hit by cars... Hmm...