The Kindness of Drivers

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Recently I have been walking and running into and out of Nyon and in the process I have had to cross busy roads regularly and what has struck me recently, especially when running is that people stop to let me cross the road, even when they don’t need to. I really appreciate this.

When you cycle and walk between villages cars skim you, fast and close, and after several years of it I grew tired of it so I shifted to walking towards Nyon, along pavements, and avoiding busy roads when I could. In the process I often walk across main roads, if possible at crossings without lights, in the hope that cars stop for me.

What I appreciate is that there are one or two places where I cross where there is an island but no pedestrian crossing, and cars still stop here. I always wave a thanks to these people. I’d be fine if they continued, with me passing behind them once the road is clear.

The point I want to make is that it’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing drivers as aggressive, especially when you cycle along commuter roads where people drive too fast and too close. If you take up running, and need to cross roads in an urban environment almost everyone is kind enough to stop and let you pass. In such situations I make sure to cross faster, and thank them. I feel gratitude for these acts of kindness and empathy.

And Finally

It is convenient that people stop for me when I’m running, so that I can cross the road. If I had to wait it could be several seconds in some cases, as columns of cars pass, especially at rush hour. It has been consistent, hence the blog post.