Huh … this is a good idea, right?
At first it strikes me as a good idea. I’m kind of jaundiced and think that most drivers in this country are frickin’ morons, barely able to bang two rocks together of questionable driving skill and even worse situational awareness.
So, a system that projects a laser light show ten feet high of animated peds walking in front of the frighteningly average American motorists fry-stuffed face sounds like a fairly pragmatic stance to take. How could you possibly miss this? Imagine trying to explain to Officer Friendly how you blew through that cross walk and nearly took out the little old lady with the walker.
Perhaps this is what’s needed. Have you ever seen road and freeway signs from the 50s? They’re minuscule by today’s standards, and the graphics (arrows and such) are just as poor if they’re present at all. I always used to wonder why they made them bigger and more obvious, but then I got a lisence and after I nearly got sideswiped for the 57th time by some baboon that missed the pool table-sized sign that said “Right Lane MUST Exit” I stopped wondering.
Then I think about that time, and not very long ago, around last January, that some dingus pulled up next to me in the right turn only lane, after passing not one, not two but FOUR pool table-sized signs that said “Right Lane MUST TURN RIGHT”, rolled down their window and said, “Hi! I’m in the wrong lane. When the light changes to green, can I get in front of you?”
When I told him “No”, I thought his head was going to explode. By the time I got to the far side of the intersection, I could still hear him questioning my sense of fairness.
So who knows, maybe something like this way-groovy Virtual Wall crosswalk light actually IS a good idea, but 90% of the drivers out there are just too moronic to notice.
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