Car Things

I have been nearly hit by a car once and nearly hit somebody else with a car once in similar circumstances.

When I nearly hit someone, I was sitting at a red light in semi dark and the red light turned green but my turning arrow was red. I thought this odd since I was pretty much all of the traffic for the intersection but, being in no hurry, obeyed the laws of the road and waited until the arrow went away and I was able to proceed on my way home. Unfortunately what I had not noticed was the reason I had a red arrow, namely a man crossing the road. Unfortunately he was about half way across and heading nearer when the arrow changed and I went. Happily there was at least a meter of room between us when I turned the corner and I only received an angry glare for not noticing him.

When I was working in Campbelltown last year though, I was walking home from the train station at MacArthur Square and waiting in the nearly dark for the little green walking man to appear. I was wearing Jeans and a black jumper which would have made me blend into the night a fair bit. Beside me was a car containing a driver who was clearly keen to arrive home in a speedy fashion. While we were waiting, me to cross and him to turn left across my path, he was revving gently and sliding back and forth. I should have known he was in a hurry and paid more attention. The light turned green for everybody except him and, unable to see the reason for his red arrow, namely me meandering across the road, he went. Two things prevented injury that night, one was I was dawdling and the other was he accidentally swung wide. Another half step forward and I would have been hit by the front of a 4 wheel drive. As it was he ended up crossing my path so close in front of me that I walked into the side of the car. Like I said, not paying attention.

I was a bit shaken up and though he pulled up down the road a bit, I did not go and talk to him, however that is why we have traffic lights and even if you can't see why things are so, you still know what you should have done.

There was a different problem in Warwick, the main set of lights in the shops had the green arrows to turn left at the same time as the green walking man to cross the same piece of road. I got a few evil glares crossing that road legally.