On Sunday we saw two very different letters on a "walkable" Spokane in response to Paul Turner's pedestrian's perspective:

(...) The problem is that drivers here just don’t get it – pedestrians have the right of way. Drivers often seem ticked off that they’ve been forced to stop for walkers or bikers. The driver of a faded red T-bird that was two inches away from hitting me today threw his arms in the air and rolled his eyes. Are you kidding me?

In Seattle, pedestrians leisurely stroll across streets, bikers freely hog whole lanes and drivers understand. My wish for Spokane drivers is they’d get out and walk – see for themselves how hard it is to be a pedestrian in this city.

Margaret E. Kay
Spokane

But from a driver's perspective:

Ever since pedestrians’ right of way became law, I have felt it was a bad law. When I attended grade school here in Spokane, I was taught a very smart rule for crossing a street. It was this: "Stop, look and listen before you cross the street. Use your eyes and your ears, and then use your feet."

Drivers have to be much more alert, watching other drivers, sometimes having to see through two or three lanes of traffic for foot traffic, street light changes and making quick judgments. On the other hand, pedestrians are moving slower, don’t have to make quick judgments and are more vulnerable to being hurt by automobiles, which can be lethal. At night, it is extremely hard to see pedestrians. (...)

Isn’t it time to use a common sense approach by teaching people the little jingle I learned as a child and changing this bad law?

Marilyn Lawson
Spokane

What are your experiences as a walker/driver in Spokane?