UPDATE: Pedestrian struck by vehicle in Oklahoma City Monday downtown | News OK (http://newsok.com/pedestrian-struck-by-vehicle-in-downtown-oklahoma-city-monday/article/5405801)

Looks like it could potentially be a very bad situation. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the individual is not in critical condition, but that usually is the case when these things happen. I hope people will keep the pedestrians that have to walk downtown in their thoughts and prayers..

I've had 4 near misses in the last several years. Each time I was crossing on a green light and the vehicle in question was turning right on red. Three of the four rolled down their window to yell at me. I've been wondering if right turn on red should not be permitted in high pedestrian areas. I will be interested in the details of this accident and hope this person is OK.

We had a hit and run in downtown Columbus, at a 10-lane intersection, that killed the city's chief traffic engineer and his intern from the Ohio State city planning program. It's something that's been top of mind for me lately.

I really really hope today's victim is okay.

I've had 4 near misses in the last several years. Each time I was crossing on a green light and the vehicle in question was turning right on red. Three of the four rolled down their window to yell at me. I've been wondering if right turn on red should not be permitted in high pedestrian areas. I will be interested in the details of this accident and hope this person is OK.
No right turn on red is one way to address this, and a leading pedestrian interval is another. They can also be used in combination. Jeff Speck is a huge proponent of LPI in Walkable City. Crossings are especially dangerous at T-intersections where all cars turn one way or the other, the perfect example being Mickey Mantle and Reno on the northern edge of Lower Bricktown, where you see this type of dangerous pedestrian-vehicle conflict not just daily but often many times per hour.

Over the past few months I've worked with the director of the Bricktown Association (Mallory O'Neill) and City staff within the Planning and Public Works Departments to determine if it might be a simple matter of programming for the signalized intersections in Bricktown, which almost certainly have highest total volume of pedestrian activity in Oklahoma City. It appears that this is the case, so several weeks ago we composed a letter to the director of Public Works asking him to explore the issue and (hopefully) direct staff to reprogram the intersection. So far we have received an encouraging response, though they are still looking into it.

Our goal is to have LPIs instituted in Bricktown, prioritized in this order: MM/Reno; Sheridan/Oklahoma; MM/Sheridan; Reno/Oklahoma. Our hope is that they prove to be successful and become an attractive option for other districts and active pedestrian areas. We have also identified several intersections where we want to request all-way stop signs (another Speck recommendation).

This short film explains LPI:


https://vimeo.com/12796930

In the short time I have been walking around downtown I would say I have had one near-miss and it was from an asshole driving a black pickup in Bricktown who I am sure got as close to me as he could on purpose. He is damn lucky I didn't see his shenanigans sooner or he would have gotten an umbrella shoved in his open driver window.

That is the most Alfred Pennyworth thing I have ever seen posted on this board.

Yeah I was walking across EKG on Main heading toward Bricktown and a guy didn't seem like he was stopping for me (or was planning to get very close and/or timing it so he barely missed me to make his turn) so I stopped in the intersection and put my arms out in a "come at me bro" kind of way. Maybe not the best approach, but it got his attention and he stopped.

If LPI is successful in Bricktown I would think that the EKG entrances to BT would become the next logical locations to pursue. The beautiful thing about them is apparently the only expense involved would be staff time for the reprogramming.

Yeah I was walking across EKG on Main heading toward Bricktown and a guy didn't seem like he was stopping for me (or was planning to get very close and/or timing it so he barely missed me to make his turn) so I stopped in the intersection and put my arms out in a "come at me bro" kind of way. Maybe not the best approach, but it got his attention and he stopped.

I do this and I'm probably going to die because of it.

Yeah I was walking across EKG on Main heading toward Bricktown and a guy didn't seem like he was stopping for me (or was planning to get very close and/or timing it so he barely missed me to make his turn) so I stopped in the intersection and put my arms out in a "come at me bro" kind of way. Maybe not the best approach, but it got his attention and he stopped.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c412hqucHKw

^^^^^^^
The best part about that scene is that supposedly the interaction with the cabbie was unplanned and unrehearsed.

Most of my near-misses around downtown are due to jackasses attempting to drive while their noses are buried in their phones.

^^^^^^^
The best part about that scene is that supposedly the interaction with the cabbie was unplanned and unrehearsed.

The cabbie wasn't supposed to be there. The street was blocked off to regular traffic but the cabbie snuck through somehow.

Most of my near-misses around downtown are due to jackasses attempting to drive while their noses are buried in their phones.

I wish, but I get the sense that they really just don't like pedestrians because they are impeding their rapid exodus to the burbs. They probably park in attached garage or take the conncourse to get to their own car.

I said it half-jokingly, half-serious before. The one good reason to carry a gun in Oklahoma is to protect yourself from drivers when crossing the road. I've got stories as I'm sure many else do too. It's appalling how insensitive people can be.

Seriously. My wife and I have almost gotten killed so many times while walking through downtown - it's absolutely absurd. I'm sort of scared to yell anything at the drivers because I know if they shoot me and bolt, no one will give a crap. I'd feel a lot better if I had a piece on me, that's for sure.

I had a guy in a huge coal-rolling pickup truck try and run me over in Bricktown. I flipped him off. He rolled his window down and told me he knew the "Governor of Oklahoma City" (sic) and would have me reported right away.

I had a guy in a huge coal-rolling pickup truck try and run me over in Bricktown. I flipped him off. He rolled his window down and told me he knew the "Governor of Oklahoma City" (sic) and would have me reported right away.

Haha - better than knowing the Mayor of Oklahoma I suppose!

That is the most Alfred Pennyworth thing I have ever seen posted on this board.

I nearly choked on my burger. Did not expect a zinger on a thread like this. I've slapped a few cars that have come too close to me.

I spoke with the same folks a while back about that intersection and got the times extended (it used to only be 15 second crossing). It is much longer now but when you signal to cross as a pedestrian, the time to change was extended by a lot. Last time I was there anyway. Hope they get that intersection worked out because you are right, not only is it really busy, but just the way it is laid out, it's more prone for an accident.
The extended walk time definitely helps, but of course the real conflict comes at the beginning of the green/walk signal when both autos and pedestrians try to enter the crosswalk/intersection simultaneously. It was a real forehead-slapper for me when I first read Speck's book. LPI is such a no-brainer, it's crazy that if hasn't really been done much before. But it has really even only recently been gaining traction, even in walking cities like NYC and D.C., though it is seeing great success in those places.