Skateboards and Mopeds and Bikes, Oh My!
Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a pedestrian. Everyone has their own reasons for walking around cities. It’s eco-friendly! It’s good exercise! It’s economical (aka you’re too broke to buy a car)! I’ve noticed a lot less people (around campus) drive cars. After all, it doesn’t make too much sense considering the public transit system is fairly reliable and the island itself is not that big; It is only 597 sq. miles while Franklin County in Ohio is 543 sq. miles!
You think this place would be a pedestrian paradise, instead it’s more like running the gauntlet. Hawaii has one the highest pedestrian death rates in the United States. Crossing the street at a crosswalk on campus should really become an Olympic sport. You know how they (Barney and Friends) suggest before crossing the street you should “look left, right then left again before crossing”? Well in Hawaii, it’s more like “look left, right, left, let three cars run the red light THEN quickly dash across the street before the red hand appears.” There are signs everywhere that say “No Right on Red,” but I have yet to see a single driver abide by this rule. Back in Ohio, I was a jaywalking-professional like so many other students. No crosswalk? No problem! Let’s just cross directly in front of the UDF, since the closest light is all the way over there next to the CVS, like a full block away… In Hawaii, I don’t even attempt to cross the street unless I am in the designated spot and the signs clearly indicate I should walk.
Crossing the street and bad drivers aren’t the only obstacles for pedestrians. When walking along the sidewalk you have to be on a constant lookout for bikes, skateboards, and even FUCKING mopeds. I was kind of used to bikes on pathways and sidewalks. Columbus only recently started posting “Share the Road” signs, so a lot of cyclists used the sidewalks instead of risking death by vehicle. So the bikes on the sidewalk don’t really bother me as much considering the horrible drivers on the streets. But I was not expecting to be run-down by skateboarders or FUCKING mopeds drivers. Seriously, who drives a moped on the sidewalk? A lot of people that’s who. There are more mopeds around campus than cars. I just don’t understand why they are on the sidewalks. That’s why there are roads! But the skateboarders are the most obnoxious. One in five people* skateboard to class, and only half of those people actually possess the necessary skills to not fall off or run into crowds of people. Most are just kids who think they look cool. A lot of times they slowly skate side-by-side with a pedestrian friend/cute girl, taking up the ENTIRE SIDEWALK. So the other pedestrians are forced to move out of the way (possibly into oncoming traffic) for these people. Back in Ohio, whenever I saw a skateboarder I (and everyone else) automatically thought “Douche.” Here it’s almost NORMAL to skate to class. I have to keep my ipod at a lower volume, so I can listen for the tell-tale rolling thunder creeping up from behind. At least once every couple of days I have had to jump of the sidewalk to avoid getting hit by an errant skateboarder who lost control going downhill. IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO SKATE, DON’T SKATE AROUND A CROWDED CAMPUS!
All in all, being a pedestrian around University of Hawaii sucks. You can get hit by a car crossing the street or get taken out by a number of other wheeled vehicles on the sidewalk.
Good thing I shipped my bicycle over. I might snap and start taking out some skateboarders.
* 83% of all statistics are made up
You think this place would be a pedestrian paradise, instead it’s more like running the gauntlet. Hawaii has one the highest pedestrian death rates in the United States. Crossing the street at a crosswalk on campus should really become an Olympic sport. You know how they (Barney and Friends) suggest before crossing the street you should “look left, right then left again before crossing”? Well in Hawaii, it’s more like “look left, right, left, let three cars run the red light THEN quickly dash across the street before the red hand appears.” There are signs everywhere that say “No Right on Red,” but I have yet to see a single driver abide by this rule. Back in Ohio, I was a jaywalking-professional like so many other students. No crosswalk? No problem! Let’s just cross directly in front of the UDF, since the closest light is all the way over there next to the CVS, like a full block away… In Hawaii, I don’t even attempt to cross the street unless I am in the designated spot and the signs clearly indicate I should walk.
Crossing the street and bad drivers aren’t the only obstacles for pedestrians. When walking along the sidewalk you have to be on a constant lookout for bikes, skateboards, and even FUCKING mopeds. I was kind of used to bikes on pathways and sidewalks. Columbus only recently started posting “Share the Road” signs, so a lot of cyclists used the sidewalks instead of risking death by vehicle. So the bikes on the sidewalk don’t really bother me as much considering the horrible drivers on the streets. But I was not expecting to be run-down by skateboarders or FUCKING mopeds drivers. Seriously, who drives a moped on the sidewalk? A lot of people that’s who. There are more mopeds around campus than cars. I just don’t understand why they are on the sidewalks. That’s why there are roads! But the skateboarders are the most obnoxious. One in five people* skateboard to class, and only half of those people actually possess the necessary skills to not fall off or run into crowds of people. Most are just kids who think they look cool. A lot of times they slowly skate side-by-side with a pedestrian friend/cute girl, taking up the ENTIRE SIDEWALK. So the other pedestrians are forced to move out of the way (possibly into oncoming traffic) for these people. Back in Ohio, whenever I saw a skateboarder I (and everyone else) automatically thought “Douche.” Here it’s almost NORMAL to skate to class. I have to keep my ipod at a lower volume, so I can listen for the tell-tale rolling thunder creeping up from behind. At least once every couple of days I have had to jump of the sidewalk to avoid getting hit by an errant skateboarder who lost control going downhill. IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO SKATE, DON’T SKATE AROUND A CROWDED CAMPUS!
All in all, being a pedestrian around University of Hawaii sucks. You can get hit by a car crossing the street or get taken out by a number of other wheeled vehicles on the sidewalk.
Good thing I shipped my bicycle over. I might snap and start taking out some skateboarders.
* 83% of all statistics are made up
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