grrr !

i drive around london quite a lot.

as if it's not a difficult enough city to drive in, i've noticed recently

how pedestrians cross the road when they are being advised by the red man

to stay on the pavement.

i really don't understand it. when it's red for pedestrians it means it's going to be green

for cars, buses, bikes etc right ?

the road users... we all stop at red lights and go on green. that's the rule.

so pedestrians... surely you should use the same rules ?

my observations over the past couple of years are that the types of people who

step out on red are split more or less evenly into two groups.

( if you drive or walk in london you should check this out, honestly it's

almost always people from these groups )

1. men with headphones on.

2. women using mobile phones

trust me on this, if you're in a car at red lights in london, i reckon 5 times out of 10

when the lights turn green for you a man in headphones or woman on a mobile phone

will try to cross the road even though it's on red for them.

on saturday i was on the top deck of a bus at oxford circus. the bus stopped at the red

lights and i got my camera out to see how the pedestrians behaved.

when i took this frame it was green for the bus. it had been red for pedestrians

for a little while.

and there you have it. most people standing at the sides waiting for the green man.

a girl at the top of the frame sprints across the road.

the lady in the denim jacket strolls slowly across as she chats on her mobile.

the lady on the left is in a third group i forgot to mention

3. people who cross the road and look away from the traffic

( i'm not looking at you, you won't run me over )

well that's about it really. maybe next time i'll talk about cyclists who

don't bother stopping at red lights ?

or should i just stick to coffee and sneakers ?