Riding my bike near Nationwide Children’s Hospital, I happened upon this sign:
Pedestrian Awareness Zone.
Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit. Whatever does "Pedestrian Awareness Zone" mean?
As a service to the readers of Net Cotton Content, I’ve narrowed it down to two choices:
- The pedestrians here are unusually aware. They are awake, engaged in life, open to its possibilities and potentialities. Buddha crosses here.
- This is an area where drivers should be aware of pedestrians. That’s nice. But it ominously suggests that walkers can be run over outside the zone.
I wish it were the former, but I’m sure it’s the latter. Of course, "Pedestrian Awareness Zone" means "please don’t drive into pedestrians here." And the rest of the world is a:
Pedestrians Beware: Driver Awareness Zone.
The Sign Raises Questions
Would a driver who is unaware of pedestrians be aware of this sign?
What sort of world have we created that such a sign needs to be posted?
Why are bicyclists being struck and killed in record numbers in Ohio — and the drivers of the cars are getting away with saying, "Sorry, but I didn’t see him." (As TwoWheeling.com‘s Doug Morgan wrote recently, "Four Dead in Ohio.")
Shouldn’t we all move into the zone?