A screed on this lovely Wednesday morning. While I live in a city what is very easy to get around in, with terrific public transportation, and a solid awareness of disability access, I still live in a big American city where cars rule. One of the medical offices I visit has no sidewalk from the street. If you take the bus, or walk to the offices there, you either tramp on the grass or walk where the cars go. When we moved to Seattle 20 years ago, one of the "oh my gosh" moments was when folks who lived here would tell you that you could get a ticket for jaywalking. Coming from places like Cambridge, Manhattan and Berkeley, this was very amusing. Stu and I knew that if you didn't jaywalk where we lived, well, you'd be standing on the corner for days. (a news flash from some years ago: a mayoral candidate jaywalked in order to throw out his coffee cup in a trash container. Really).

While, as I say, Seattle offers a relatively accessible place, you'll still find me going down the street rather than the sidewalk in many parts of Seattle, including my own neighborhood. The sidewalks lack curb cuts in most cases, or lack them at one end and not 'tother, so you can get on the sidewalk but not off. Smooth(ish) asphalt is also easier on my body than the ridiculous sidewalks. One block near us is made of scored asphalt - looks like bricks, rides like cobblestones. Other blocks are simply made of big concrete blocks, each one of which has a seam where it bumps up against the next block. Keep in mind, campers, that one of my disabling problems is permanent fractures. In my pelvis and hips. There's a reason to use a wheelchair, huh? And bouncing hurts. Welcome to my world, where you get intimately familiar with pavement. Fun, huh? Weird too. Oy. Whose idea was this?

Yesterday, Stu and I were out in our neighborhood, running errands. I had the scooter, not the wheelchair, as running to the grocery store etc. makes this more useful, as it has a floor, backpack and basket for items. I know this neighborhood in great detail. I know the good and bad streets, the intersections with walk lights, which side of the street is easier to ride on. I know which doors are so heavy that I need help to open them. I know that it's officially warm weather when the post office door is open - that door that the USPS refuses to automate. The scooter is not nearly as comfortable as the wheelchair, keep in mind.

As we left the last store and headed home, we needed to cross a street near the grocery store. The street had a traffic light and a walk signal. The crosswalk was painted on the street and the walk light was still lit (it had not begun blinking or turned to the "don't walk" signal. (I dunno how it is where you live which is why the explanation). And the driver of the car waiting at the intersection to turn right never looked to see if anyone was in the crosswalk. He was so intent on checking to his left to ensure there was no oncoming traffic that it never occurred to him that he needed to check for pedestrians. Those of us who had the fucking right of way. Who might be in the crosswalk.

We were inches from being hit by this car. He saw his chance and started forward just as Stu and I were directly in front of him. He still had not looked. Why did we begin crossing? Because we assumed we had the right of way. We trusted the walk light. We assumed someone with a car under him would look where he was going with his potentially deadly machine.

Do you drive a car? Does this stuff ever happen to you? Have you perhaps forgotten, because you live in a city where cars rule that not everyone has a car? Have you ever blocked a curb cut in order to grab your pizza which you called in? Have you ever pulled out of the lot at the bank, where you've run to the ATM and only looked left? Do you remember that there are people who walk? Do you drive with your windows rolled up, the radio, your headphones, your speaker phone on, and fail to hear when someone tries to get your attention because you've pulled up into the crosswalk and your car is blocking her ability to get into the street because there's a curb cut? And now she's missed the "walk light" because you pulled up too far and can't back up in time and were too busy listening to your phone/iPod/radio? Do? You? Look? Right?

Look to your right people. Do not ever pull out without looking both ways. There are reasons for that simple-minded rule. How dare anyone drive a machine like a car without remembering every day the power behind it? Look to your right. Every time you turn. Imagine that Stu or I, or your kid, or someone you love, or a total stranger, is standing at the corner there, heading home up the hill to the house about 9 blocks away after shopping for an hour. We are careful, why aren't you? We had the right of way, clearly marked, a walk sign, a crosswalk and clear sunny weather. And we came this
LOOK. TO. YOUR. RIGHT.