Sometimes I feel very responsible. I wonder what (as an industry) we have done! Only this afternoon I was walking up to a reasonably busy junction. The pedestrian lights changed to green and the audible walk alarm sounded. A young woman stepped out from the crossroads and walked diagonally across the junction (rather than crossing the two individual roads).
What is astounding is that she didn’t even give the road a cursory glance. While waiting for the lights to change in her favour she had her head buried in her mobile. I doubt if she even noticed the lights changing to green but the audible alarm triggered an automatic reaction to step off the kerb and take the most direct path to the opposite corner of the junction.
A few moments later a street door opened and another young women stepped out again with her head buried in her mobile phone walking on auto-pilot to the bus stop.
“…there is now a critical mass of people on the pavement who are just not paying attention to their surroundings…”
I spend a lot of time walking and I believe it has certainly become a lot more hazardous even walking along the pavement. People come flying out of side roads or shop doorways with their heads buried in the mobiles with apparently no awareness that there are any other people on the pavement, even on the busiest pavements in London.
It just feels like the balance is tipping in that there is now a critical mass of people on the pavement who are just not paying attention to their surroundings to the point where those of us who are paying attention, have to keep stopping to avoid the people traffic traversing the pavement, and swerving from side to side to avoid the oncoming people traffic.
“I feel like I have been dropped into a latter day version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video.”
Being a pedestrian responsible for my own person is one thing, but when I am also in charge of a wheelchair the challenge takes on a whole new dimension. If this was a single occurrence I wouldn’t even consider writing about it. This is the norm! I can be walking responsibly along the pavement and be faced with a rolling road block coming towards me. Three, maybe four people all with their heads down in their mobiles, talking out of the sides of their heads to each other while walking towards the wheelchair in my charge. I feel like I have been dropped into a latter day version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video.
Come on guys, I have nowhere to go! You are across the pavement and in the absence of a highway code or any pavement police I am in your hands – or maybe mobiles. All I can do is stop and wait for the inevitable and hope that when the foot rest of the wheelchair enters the peripheral vision of the oncoming rolling human roadblock they will perform a ‘break’ the Red Arrows would be proud of and clear the wheelchair. The last resort may be a long blast from my daughter sitting in the front as she anticipates collecting a couple of bodies in her lap on an otherwise quiet stroll to the shops.
“How is this going to work effectively when many of our collective eyes are not even aware of other people on the pavement?”
I did think for a while that this was all just because people are not expecting to meet a wheelchair on the pavement. However, I realise it is much wider problem. People are not expecting other people on the pavement anymore, or they don’t care and just expect everyone else to take evasive action.
And this has much wider implications. The current level of the terrorist threat means we must be vigilant. The British Transport Police campaign ‘See It, Say It’ Sorted’ reminds us that we all have role to play in keeping our transport system safe. The British Transport Police are relying on our eyes and ears to spot unusual items or activity in order to keep us all safe.
How is this going to work effectively when many of our collective eyes are not even aware of other people on the pavement? Throw in some headphones and we have lost many of our collective ears too. Although, based on my experience of pushing a wheelchair many people’s ears are disengaged when their heads are in their mobiles anyway.
“…maybe I am just getting old? Answers on a postcard!”
The telecommunications industry has done some great things. We have plenty to be proud of. But, I can’t help feeling a little bit responsible for the rise in the population of mobile zombies. Or maybe I am just getting old? Answers on a postcard!
What have we done? The rise of the mobile zombie.
Does anyone look where they are going anymore?
Sometimes I feel very responsible. I wonder what (as an industry) we have done! Only this afternoon I was walking up to a reasonably busy junction. The pedestrian lights changed to green and the audible walk alarm sounded. A young woman stepped out from the crossroads and walked diagonally across the junction (rather than crossing the two individual roads).
What is astounding is that she didn’t even give the road a cursory glance. While waiting for the lights to change in her favour she had her head buried in her mobile. I doubt if she even noticed the lights changing to green but the audible alarm triggered an automatic reaction to step off the kerb and take the most direct path to the opposite corner of the junction.
A few moments later a street door opened and another young women stepped out again with her head buried in her mobile phone walking on auto-pilot to the bus stop.
“…there is now a critical mass of people on the pavement who are just not paying attention to their surroundings…”
I spend a lot of time walking and I believe it has certainly become a lot more hazardous even walking along the pavement. People come flying out of side roads or shop doorways with their heads buried in the mobiles with apparently no awareness that there are any other people on the pavement, even on the busiest pavements in London.
It just feels like the balance is tipping in that there is now a critical mass of people on the pavement who are just not paying attention to their surroundings to the point where those of us who are paying attention, have to keep stopping to avoid the people traffic traversing the pavement, and swerving from side to side to avoid the oncoming people traffic.
“I feel like I have been dropped into a latter day version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video.”
Being a pedestrian responsible for my own person is one thing, but when I am also in charge of a wheelchair the challenge takes on a whole new dimension. If this was a single occurrence I wouldn’t even consider writing about it. This is the norm! I can be walking responsibly along the pavement and be faced with a rolling road block coming towards me. Three, maybe four people all with their heads down in their mobiles, talking out of the sides of their heads to each other while walking towards the wheelchair in my charge. I feel like I have been dropped into a latter day version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video.
Come on guys, I have nowhere to go! You are across the pavement and in the absence of a highway code or any pavement police I am in your hands – or maybe mobiles. All I can do is stop and wait for the inevitable and hope that when the foot rest of the wheelchair enters the peripheral vision of the oncoming rolling human roadblock they will perform a ‘break’ the Red Arrows would be proud of and clear the wheelchair. The last resort may be a long blast from my daughter sitting in the front as she anticipates collecting a couple of bodies in her lap on an otherwise quiet stroll to the shops.
“How is this going to work effectively when many of our collective eyes are not even aware of other people on the pavement?”
I did think for a while that this was all just because people are not expecting to meet a wheelchair on the pavement. However, I realise it is much wider problem. People are not expecting other people on the pavement anymore, or they don’t care and just expect everyone else to take evasive action.
And this has much wider implications. The current level of the terrorist threat means we must be vigilant. The British Transport Police campaign ‘See It, Say It’ Sorted’ reminds us that we all have role to play in keeping our transport system safe. The British Transport Police are relying on our eyes and ears to spot unusual items or activity in order to keep us all safe.
How is this going to work effectively when many of our collective eyes are not even aware of other people on the pavement? Throw in some headphones and we have lost many of our collective ears too. Although, based on my experience of pushing a wheelchair many people’s ears are disengaged when their heads are in their mobiles anyway.
“…maybe I am just getting old? Answers on a postcard!”
The telecommunications industry has done some great things. We have plenty to be proud of. But, I can’t help feeling a little bit responsible for the rise in the population of mobile zombies. Or maybe I am just getting old? Answers on a postcard!