Pedestrians Have Rights Too

I decided not to go to St. Catharines because a) I couldn't find a bed and breakfast that wasn't full due to the Wine Festival and b) I thought I should be practical since the Budget Gods said so.

However; I did do one small thing to celebrate the anthology launch. It's a beautiful autumn day so I walked to the Farmers' Market, bought some fresh tomatoes, some hummous and tablouli, a newspaper and some fresh cut flowers. That put me in an upbeat mood but it was destined to be temporary.

As I was walking back home, crossing the street on a green light - and the WALK sign was on - a car decided to make a left turn when I was in the middle of the cross walk and nearly hit me. I yelled at the guy, yep, it was a male driver, but the only digit I could raise was a thumb since my hands were full, I yelled 'idiot" but I'm sure he didn't see my thumb or hear me shout. He was roaring toward the next red light which was only a block away.

I was only about three blocks from home after that incident and things should have been quiet and smooth. Should have been but were not.

There was only one more light ahead of me. As I approached the light, and I was on the right hand sidewalk, there was a bus stopped at the light waiting to make a left turn. I was behind the bus and behind it was a car with a young male driver (I know, I know, but these are the facts). He was honking his horn at the bus and then he put his head out the window and yelled. He appeared to be getting ready to pass the bus on the right. I could see his hands turning the wheel in that direction. That would mean going up on the sidewalk where I was. Thank God, at that moment the bus was finally able to turn left and the car behind straightened and zoomed off at a speed of least 20 clicks over the posted limit.

I want to know why it is so easy for people who show no knowledge or respect for the Highway Traffic Act to have the right to drive potentially lethal multi-ton vehicles (both were SUV's) They should be demoted to pedestrian status. And maybe pedestrians should have some sort of weapon to use in these circumstances - like a long umbrella with a razor-sharp tip for scratching the paint of offending vehicles.

Tomorrow is The Word on the Street, and the weather forecast is for rain so we may not have many afternoon visitors.

I just came back from Tim Hortons where I had a coffee and a Nanaimo bar to soothe my nerves. Sometimes you just have to have some cheap consolation.