Ever since I arrived in the NorthWest I’ve noticed people standing politely at the street corner waiting for the little man to tell them it’s ok to walk across the street. Being a New Yorker I don’t really take much notice of the street light. Or the street corner for that matter. Jaywalking is a part of life in New York and London. Personally, I take pride in my pedestrian skills and the ability to shave that extra second or two off a journey by crossing in the middle of the street or not waiting for the light to turn. So arriving in a town where people are so, polite, for want of a better word, surprised me. I continued on my jaywalking merry way until the other day when I was informed that jaywalking is actually illegal here and in Portland. I was aghast. Despite my mother’s protests and attempts to tell me one of her favourite stories about the time her grandfather got a ticket in New York for jaywalking, I haven’t heard of anyone in the past 50 years being ticketed for such an offense in NYC. However, apparently on the left coast such a thing is a common occurrence. So, people take their time. Another foreign concept to me! People wait at the corners like the law abiding citizens they are. I attempted to amend my ways…When in Rome… But by the end of today I was tired at waiting at the corner when there were no cars coming just because I’m supposed to. Now maybe this is wrong and maybe I don’t need to be in such a hurry, but this practice is so ingrained in me that I think it’s going to take a while.
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