Or, more to the point, what's wrong with our relationship with cars?
The message here is clear - pedestrians need to watch out, cars have right of way. Which makes sense right? It's a car park - you shouldn't be jaywalking down the ramps when there are perfectly good stairs available. Albeit a little less convenient maybe, or maybe you just haven't noticed them and are walking where it feels natural to, in order to get where you are going to. So watch out! You're in the way! Don't blame us if you get run over.
This is pretty much the generally accepted rule in New Zealand. If it is a place for cars: car parks, the street you live on, the local shops; you had better watch out - scuttle across that pedestrian crossing, that's a car! It has important places to go!
As a recent arrival to the UK, I was astonished that pedestrians merely had to hint that they wanted to cross a road or negotiate a car park and traffic would immediately stop to give way, regardless of what the rules actually said. As it turns out, the Highway Code is not far different from ours, but people seem to interpret it in a very different way.
Others have reported similar attitudes in the USA, Europe and even our neighbour Australia.
But here in New Zealand the culture is still firmly that the car is king, and will remain so as long as councils and transport agencies keep putting up signs reminding us of the fact.
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| Auckland Transport's Downtown Car Park |
This is pretty much the generally accepted rule in New Zealand. If it is a place for cars: car parks, the street you live on, the local shops; you had better watch out - scuttle across that pedestrian crossing, that's a car! It has important places to go!
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| Sign reads: 'Caution Motorists Have Right of Way' - Takapuna Beach shopping area (Google Streetview) |
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| From the UK Highway Code |
But here in New Zealand the culture is still firmly that the car is king, and will remain so as long as councils and transport agencies keep putting up signs reminding us of the fact.
