2008 Woodie Awards
Letter: URI student warns pedestrians to be cautious when crossing roads
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
02/20/08 - To the Cigar,
Here I am going to my 10 a.m. class on a windy President's Day, and as I am walking down Upper College Road I can't seem to figure out why my MP3 player is acting up. Looking at the time, I begin to speed up my pace, hoping to make it on time for class.
As I am crossing the road at the four-way intersection, I looked to my left, making sure there wasn't an oncoming car.
I began walking in front of a stopped car at the stop sign. As a driver who dislikes pedestrians walking slowly in traffic, I began to run to get out of traffic.
While running, I see a RIPTA bus speeding through the intersection. Assuming the driver sees me crossing the street, I start running across the road.
To my surprise the bus doesn't show any sign of slowing down, so I jumped back into the middle of the road, inches away from the bus, both shocked and surprised.
Even more surprising to me is the fact that the driver of the bus doesn't even stop to find out about my well-being. Instead, he gestures at me for being in his way.
I, having just escaped from being hit by a bus, began yelling at the bus driver.
The driver of a Volkswagen who saw what happened seemed just as surprised as I was and might have found it funny, as I now do, looking at his fellow student yelling at a RIPTA bus.
As I crossed the road after this incident, a young lady who watched the scene from her car was the one who stopped, rolled down her window, and asked me, "Are you OK?"
I turned around with a generous smile and replied, "Yes."
What I am angry about is not almost getting hit by a bus, nor is it the bus that should be blamed.
I was angry with the driver because he never asked if I was OK. He just continued driving his route around the URI campus.
Yes, a campus, a place filled with literally thousands of young adults like me walking on, around and across the campus' streets each day, some not paying attention to the road because they are in another world with their iPod.
So please, when walking on this campus watch where you are walking and try not to get hit by a RIPTA bus while crossing the road.
Eric Kyne
Here I am going to my 10 a.m. class on a windy President's Day, and as I am walking down Upper College Road I can't seem to figure out why my MP3 player is acting up. Looking at the time, I begin to speed up my pace, hoping to make it on time for class.
As I am crossing the road at the four-way intersection, I looked to my left, making sure there wasn't an oncoming car.
I began walking in front of a stopped car at the stop sign. As a driver who dislikes pedestrians walking slowly in traffic, I began to run to get out of traffic.
While running, I see a RIPTA bus speeding through the intersection. Assuming the driver sees me crossing the street, I start running across the road.
To my surprise the bus doesn't show any sign of slowing down, so I jumped back into the middle of the road, inches away from the bus, both shocked and surprised.
Even more surprising to me is the fact that the driver of the bus doesn't even stop to find out about my well-being. Instead, he gestures at me for being in his way.
I, having just escaped from being hit by a bus, began yelling at the bus driver.
The driver of a Volkswagen who saw what happened seemed just as surprised as I was and might have found it funny, as I now do, looking at his fellow student yelling at a RIPTA bus.
As I crossed the road after this incident, a young lady who watched the scene from her car was the one who stopped, rolled down her window, and asked me, "Are you OK?"
I turned around with a generous smile and replied, "Yes."
What I am angry about is not almost getting hit by a bus, nor is it the bus that should be blamed.
I was angry with the driver because he never asked if I was OK. He just continued driving his route around the URI campus.
Yes, a campus, a place filled with literally thousands of young adults like me walking on, around and across the campus' streets each day, some not paying attention to the road because they are in another world with their iPod.
So please, when walking on this campus watch where you are walking and try not to get hit by a RIPTA bus while crossing the road.
Eric Kyne