Governments in the D.C. area have been trying for years to get cars to stop for pedestrians crossing the road. They have put up signs, marked walks, installed speed bumps but it really does not work. Cars don’t always stop, and you are taking your life in your hands to expect that they will.
Here, it works. They mean it. Pedestrians rule here. The crosswalks where cars are required to stop are extravagantly marked with road stripes and lights. And if a pedestrian even approaches it, cars slow down and stop. It is like a miracle. I am leery enough that when I am walking, I always stop and look both ways to make sure the cars are actually going to stop. But there are some people who assume cars are going to stop and charge right into the road. It makes me nervous because I am not completely trained to be on the lookout when I approach one of these stops. I admit that a few times I scared the bejeezus out of a pedestrian who just strutted on into the crosswalk without even glancing and I did not see them approaching. I’m getting better but it is a new way of driving.
A Yank Among the Kiwis 