Boston Pedestrians

I live in Boston, near the Big Dig. Driving around here is crazy, because streets move overnight. A street that was in one place when you go to bed has moved by morning, or is sometimes just gone. Patches of dirt one afternoon are paved three lanes by the next morning.

So you'd think people would be a little careful on the road. Boston drivers are famous for being, well, not careful. But the pedestrians! It's like a video game out there. They dart from the sidewalks midblock, between parked cars, between cars stopped at lights, under green lights, red lights, yellow lights and broken lights. The best move, though, comes at rush hour. Dozens wait together on the corner, eyes darting from car to car, until one senses a driver with a touch of timid. Even though the light is green, he breaks for the street. The group lurches ahead in front of the hapless driver foolhardy enough to tap a brake. Horns blare, walkers take the road, drivers sit, stumped. By the time the crowd has crossed to the other side, the light above turns red. Drivers stare at the empty crosswalk.