Hear my Plea, Provo Pedestrians

Over the past few years that I have been in Provo, I have come to love the town. Yes, it's overcrowded with college students (but can I really complain -- I'm one of them!), a lot of the apartments are quite ghetto, and it's not known for its top notch entertainment . . . But overall, I love it. Granted, I could never live here for the rest of my life, but as for my colleging years, it's a good place. I mean, what other city has about 20 different fro-yo places within about 10 minutes driving distance?! I find myself cringing at the people complaining about BYU and Provo (I must clarify, I cringe at those that attend BYU and live in Provo at the same time. You had a choice, my friends). Really, it's only as bad as you make it! Call me a Zoobie if you like, but I like it here. When you know the people I know, and all the cool-secret awesome things to do . . . it's not too bad (okay, I don't really know that many people, or cool things to do. But that's okay)

However, there is one thing about Provo that drives me bonkers. Something that may drive me to an early grave.

Pedestrians. Provo Pedestrians.

Okay, okay. I know what you're thinking. "Katie, YOU, by Wikipedia definition, are a pedestrian"

Yes, I realize that. However, I do not associate myself with the Provo pedestrian.

What is a Provo pedestrian? Well, here's a basic definition.

Pro·vo Pe·des·tri·an [pro-vo puh-des-tree-uhn]

-noun

1. One who thinks they rule the world

2. Feels they are indestructible to any moving vehicle

3. Somehow believe they are completely visible at all times, even in the dead of night when there are no lights around

4. One who does not look where they are going

5. Makes every place on the street a crosswalk

(that's a legitimate definition. Look for it in the next edition of the Merriam Webster dictionary)

If you can't tell by that definition, they are pretty much extremely annoying. Need I recount the many times that some random person runs out in the middle of the road? Or how many people don't even look before they cross the street at night, just because they think they can? No, no I don't. But let me tell you about three experiences that happened over the past few days.

Point A:

Yesterday, I was driving on 9th East, a pretty popular, and often times busy, street in Provo. I was driving along, at a regular speed, minding my own business, on my way to Gold's Gym. I was singing my heart out to some great country song and looking forward to my upcoming workout, when out of nowhere, this group of three girls just run straight in front of me. Was it at an intersection with a traffic light? No. Was it at a stop sign or yield sign? No. Was it at one of the many designated crosswalks throughout Provo where I am required to slowdown at, just in case someone was crossing? Not even close. It was just right in the middle of the street. I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting those girls (or, a better phrase would be, BYU students that obviously never learned the rules of crossing the street by their parents). I just about honked my horn, but withheld. I don't know why, I always wish I could honk my horn more. It makes me feel more powerful. Anyways, this just about gave me a heart attack, and the girls didn't even notice. They just kept walking and giggling, probably talking about that Joey Bieber guy (or whatever his name is). Little did they know, they were minutes away from death. Okay, maybe that's a little melodramatic, but really. I was so annoyed. Lucky for them, I pay attention while driving (despite what anyone else thinks).

Point B:

These go together, because they are just about the exact situation. I was driving from the Library over to Forrest's house yesterday, around, oh, 9:15 PM. He lives South of Campus, and there are usually lots of people walking around there. Well, as I was driving, it was pretty dark, hard to see, so I was trying to be careful. Well, try as I may to convince myself otherwise, I don't have super vision and can't see a person that is wearing all black, when it's completely dark outside anyways. I came to a place (and I will be honest, it was a cross walk, though there was no stop sign for me; I just had to pay attention and slow down). Before I got to it, I didn't see any people crossing so I just kept going, when all of the sudden, right as I'm about to get to the intersection place, I see a faint color of black running from the hill and, without even stopping to make sure there were no cars, ran straight in front of me. It was almost a tragedy. Luckily, I was able to stop just in time. But, it was close. Yes, it was a cross walk, and technically they have the right of way... But it just annoys me SO much, how people don't even stop and look to see if cars are coming. They just start keep walking without looking both ways. It drives me insane.

I'll admit, I'm probably not perfect. There have probably been times in my life (okay I know there have been) where I have jaywalked. However, generally, I try and be considerate and at least stop to see if a car is going to go or not. I never will run in the middle of a busy road, just hoping that I will be super invincible that day. It's just so annoying/rude! And the thing is, even if I were to hit someone in a situation where they were jaywalking, I would more than likely be at fault. The driver always is. Ugh. I just needed to get my frustration out. Maybe I'll start a Facebook cause about this. But not really at all.