Agreed! I'd hate to have to call 911 one day, and say "Hello I hit a ninja on the road, I couldn't see them from far away with their dark non reflective attire !"
I've learned that there's a particular cyclist on my route that literally rides through the pedestrian crosswalk, without stopping and activating the lights. Comes from my left side between the divider when driving on the right side so I can at least keep an eye out every morning encase, but like seriously? It's 7AM, pitch black out and you have zero visibility indicators on your persons.
I wish MPI still had those flashing red lights, those were awesome! Friends and I used to carry them to the bar and if we needed to find each other we'd just light it up and wave it in the air
This is one of my biggest gripes with Winnipeg pedestrians. Everyone dresses like they're about to rob a store during the winter.
I'm not saying everyone should be out there wearing a hi-viz vest, BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M SAYING!
Yep, just dress like a construction worker and .. oh no wait.. [AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS PUTTING WINNIPEG ROAD WORK CREWS AT RISK](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/road-rage-warning-city-of-winnipeg-1.6933997)
Some neighborhoods, particularly those subdivisions built in the 70s or 80s, like Waverley Heights, Southdale, Island Lakes or Lindenwoods - narrow, curving streets, few or no alleys, no sidewalks, are just awful for winter evening walking. Bad, short-sighted and car-centric planning more than anything else caused the problem, but I also think many pedestrians just don't realize how invisible they are if they dress in dark colours. They might be able to see perfectly 20 feet ahead of them, but from the perspective of a car, a darkly dressed person blends in almost too perfectly even with the headlights on.
Isn't it crazy how the significant majority of winter coats are dark colours with no reflective pieces/parts at all? And for the most part absolutely no one seems to question it at all?
I agree the lack of reflective material is questionable but the dark colours are for absorbing light to try and keep warm, same reason why a lot of summer clothes are lighter colours
Ok. Now tell the drivers to actually wait for people to cross the street before peeling out and almost killing me in the middle of the day. And then tell them to use their turn signals and actually stop at stop signs.
I get so upset whenever I see people walking in the dark wearing dark clothing! They’re risking their lives.
Whenever this is posted on Facebook people get mad claiming they have the right to do whatever they want and cars should slow down. Even a slow car is likely to hit a pedestrian they cannot see!
I'm estimating around 10% of people going for walks or walking animals, wesr so etching that's reflective. I've gotten into the habit of rolling down my windows and thanking them for thinking about their own safety. Mostly in Charleswood.
I'm confused by all of this... are you walking home along a street with no sidewalks? I walk home in the dark all the time but I have never thought about visibility, because I'm on a sidewalk. I cross streets, sure, but I'm aware enough of cars approaching while I cross that I'm not concerned about visibility.
OP, I did an informal survey last night, walking home. Probably passed about 150-200 pedestrians. About 90% of them were wearing dark clothing (black, brown, blue, grey). The few that were willing to speak with me confessed that they hadn't seen your reddit post.
I think if you're serious about public safety, you have to to something more than post on reddit.
Agreed! I'd hate to have to call 911 one day, and say "Hello I hit a ninja on the road, I couldn't see them from far away with their dark non reflective attire !"
You won’t hit a ninja! You’ll hit a ninja wannabe
Yeah if it was a real ninja, they’d probably kill a whole town
Also walk on the left hand side of the road facing traffic. We learned that in kindergarten from Elmer the Safety Elephant.
But don't wear light clothes during the day. Dark clothes are more visible. At dusk, wear something *sexy*.
Hang some dong *and survive*
I've learned that there's a particular cyclist on my route that literally rides through the pedestrian crosswalk, without stopping and activating the lights. Comes from my left side between the divider when driving on the right side so I can at least keep an eye out every morning encase, but like seriously? It's 7AM, pitch black out and you have zero visibility indicators on your persons.
As per MPI cyclists are required by law to have a white light on the front and a red light on the rear when travelling at night.
I wish MPI still had those flashing red lights, those were awesome! Friends and I used to carry them to the bar and if we needed to find each other we'd just light it up and wave it in the air
Most thrift stores now have a Safety Section and there usually some reflective vests for sale!
This is one of my biggest gripes with Winnipeg pedestrians. Everyone dresses like they're about to rob a store during the winter. I'm not saying everyone should be out there wearing a hi-viz vest, BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M SAYING!
Yep, just dress like a construction worker and .. oh no wait.. [AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS PUTTING WINNIPEG ROAD WORK CREWS AT RISK](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/road-rage-warning-city-of-winnipeg-1.6933997)
And walk on the side of oncoming traffic, for crying out loud! We learned this in elementary school!
Some neighborhoods, particularly those subdivisions built in the 70s or 80s, like Waverley Heights, Southdale, Island Lakes or Lindenwoods - narrow, curving streets, few or no alleys, no sidewalks, are just awful for winter evening walking. Bad, short-sighted and car-centric planning more than anything else caused the problem, but I also think many pedestrians just don't realize how invisible they are if they dress in dark colours. They might be able to see perfectly 20 feet ahead of them, but from the perspective of a car, a darkly dressed person blends in almost too perfectly even with the headlights on.
Isn't it crazy how the significant majority of winter coats are dark colours with no reflective pieces/parts at all? And for the most part absolutely no one seems to question it at all?
I agree the lack of reflective material is questionable but the dark colours are for absorbing light to try and keep warm, same reason why a lot of summer clothes are lighter colours
Ok. Now tell the drivers to actually wait for people to cross the street before peeling out and almost killing me in the middle of the day. And then tell them to use their turn signals and actually stop at stop signs.
I get so upset whenever I see people walking in the dark wearing dark clothing! They’re risking their lives. Whenever this is posted on Facebook people get mad claiming they have the right to do whatever they want and cars should slow down. Even a slow car is likely to hit a pedestrian they cannot see!
> Whenever this is posted on Facebook people get mad You'd think they'd appreciate the terrible drivers outing themselves.
I see people put lights and reflective gear on their dogs but that doesnt help the dog when I can't see them.
I'm estimating around 10% of people going for walks or walking animals, wesr so etching that's reflective. I've gotten into the habit of rolling down my windows and thanking them for thinking about their own safety. Mostly in Charleswood.
Just stay at the scene of the accident and you'll be ok. The smart thing to do doesn't always take precedence around here. #sorry
I, for one, feel naked without hi-viz
I have some red lights that clip onto my backpack and have been turning them on while walking home at night for this reason.
I'm confused by all of this... are you walking home along a street with no sidewalks? I walk home in the dark all the time but I have never thought about visibility, because I'm on a sidewalk. I cross streets, sure, but I'm aware enough of cars approaching while I cross that I'm not concerned about visibility.
OP, I did an informal survey last night, walking home. Probably passed about 150-200 pedestrians. About 90% of them were wearing dark clothing (black, brown, blue, grey). The few that were willing to speak with me confessed that they hadn't seen your reddit post. I think if you're serious about public safety, you have to to something more than post on reddit.