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Apr 13, 2010
Jerusalem pedestrians are the safest
Are Jerusalem pedestrians the most careful in the country?
If you walk around many parts of Jerusalem, you would be very surprised to know that the above statement is true.
In Jerusalem you will see people jaywalking more than you will see people crossing at the crosswalks. You will see people walking in the street instead of on the sidewalk. You will see people not just jaywalking, but jumping into the street in front of traffic to cross "at the last minute", and more.
Yet studies carried out comparing the pedestrians of the various cities in Israel show that in 2008-2009, no pedestrians in Jerusalem were injured "on the side of the road", while 30 were injured in that time period in other parts of the country (the Northern sector of Israel had the highest amount of injuries). (source: Mynet)
So how do we reconcile what looks like the lack of safety measures taken by Jerusalem pedestrians with the studies showing them to be the safest?
Is it divine protection for residents of the Holy City? Or perhaps the study focused on an item which is less relevant in Jerusalem compared to other parts of the country - the side of the road. Maybe in Jerusalem the "side of the road", or "the shoulder" is just not used as much. Maybe the shoulder is mostly non-existent in most parts of Jerusalem, thus making it not really much of a factor....
Who knows why, but if you walk around the capital city on the side of the road you probably will not get hit by a car...
If you walk around many parts of Jerusalem, you would be very surprised to know that the above statement is true.
In Jerusalem you will see people jaywalking more than you will see people crossing at the crosswalks. You will see people walking in the street instead of on the sidewalk. You will see people not just jaywalking, but jumping into the street in front of traffic to cross "at the last minute", and more.
Yet studies carried out comparing the pedestrians of the various cities in Israel show that in 2008-2009, no pedestrians in Jerusalem were injured "on the side of the road", while 30 were injured in that time period in other parts of the country (the Northern sector of Israel had the highest amount of injuries). (source: Mynet)
So how do we reconcile what looks like the lack of safety measures taken by Jerusalem pedestrians with the studies showing them to be the safest?
Is it divine protection for residents of the Holy City? Or perhaps the study focused on an item which is less relevant in Jerusalem compared to other parts of the country - the side of the road. Maybe in Jerusalem the "side of the road", or "the shoulder" is just not used as much. Maybe the shoulder is mostly non-existent in most parts of Jerusalem, thus making it not really much of a factor....
Who knows why, but if you walk around the capital city on the side of the road you probably will not get hit by a car...
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If pedestrians aren't getting hit, it seems to reason that Jerusalem drivers are the safest, as they would be the ones hitting the pedestrians. Or that the pedestrians are so notoriously bad, that Jerusalem drivers take extra special precautions.
ReplyDeleteIn central Jerusalem there are metal barriers at the edge of most sidewalks, blocking people from walking in the street, and out of control cars from reaching the sidewalk. In rural areas, there aren't such barriers.
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