Cyclists, Pedestrians and Drivers part 2

O.k., here's the thing, pedestrians, there's been a lot of fuss over bicyclists wearing reflective gear so drivers can see them more easily, you should keep this in mind as you're walking around as well.  Yes, you're not on the street constantly, but be aware of where there is light and where there isn't so that when you do cross the street, you give drivers the best chance of seeing you.

Cities are trying to save energy by reducing lighting on streets and sometimes they don't figure out where the crosswalks are so they match up with lights, and sometimes the lights go out at the crosswalks, and sometimes pedestrians cross where there isn't a crosswalk.  As we reduce the overall light on streets, we need to be that much more aware of lighting and how things are perceived by people who are moving 6-8 times as fast as you.  Moving in and out of light means that drivers' eyes don't adjust as quickly and so if you're looking for something dark in the dark, you won't see it.  Ever sit at a campfire in the middle of the night, look at the flame and then look elsewhere?  Yeah, it's kinda like that for drivers.  It's much better to maintain a steady field of visibility.  I know that we're trying to save money by reducing the energy spent on lighting city streets (at least in Somerville) but by doing so we're making our streets more dangerous... and as long as we're doing that, pedestrians and cyclists need to take this into account (and perhaps we should plan our crosswalks to intersect with the best lighting of the pathetic lighting available).

On a similar note, make sure that you're not wearing dark colors when going out at night.  Too often I see people in dark colors crossing the street, assuming people can see them.  Tonight, there was a police officer in the middle of an intersection directing traffic, but he was all in black with his cruiser, flashing its lights, behind him... meaning that I could only see a silhouette and it took me a good couple seconds to make out that he was waving me to turn right (which had been my plan anyway).

Cities are also trying to make the roads more pedestrian and bike friendly.  This tends to mean better painted crosswalks, wider sidewalks, narrower streets, raised crosswalks, and bike lanes.  This is a great thing but it shouldn't get in the way of doing things more meaningful, like changing traffic patterns and understanding what really makes a difference.... but more on that later.