5.01.2005
Peatones in Latin America
I have been to several Latin American countries but I had never encountered an intersection without a clearly defined right-of-way until I arrived in Buenos Aires. While many of the main thoroughfares have traffic lights, many busy intersections do not have stop signs, nor is a right-of-way clearly established. Thus, intrepid drivers proceed at their own risk, slowing down and honking if they are cautious and often escaping minor accidents as taxis and colectivos barrel their way through the streets. The same is true in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where cars actually appear to be more aggressive than in Buenos Aires (contrary to my expectations). Thus, the North American paradigm of "defensive driving" is non-existant. I asked an Argentine cabbie about this, and he remarked, "unless you are aggressive, you will get run off the road."
Others sharing the streets, such as bicyclists and pedestrians, are not afforded the same rights that they enjoy in North America. Forget the notion that a pedestrian is a sacred object when they are in a crosswalk. In Central America in particular, pedestrians must be creative when it comes to getting to the other side. I remember seeing cars actually accelerate in San Jose as I briskly half-jogged to get to the median on a four lane road. It was not uncommon for Josefinos to cross one lane at a time, straddling lane markings like a nimble tight-rope walker. This is night and day from the myriad of crosswalks in Princeton, NJ (where I spent four years of college and where I live currently) which mandate that cars must anticipate when a pedestrian is about to cross and slow down accordingly.
So while it can be a bit testing for a gringo like myself to navigate Latin American cities on foot, the opposite is often true for Latin Americans who come to the United States. I worked at the DC affiliate of Telemundo a couple of summers ago, and we did a story on Central American pedestrians who had been hit by buses and cars while crossing major streets. The reason they were hit was that they were not used to using crosswalks and attempted to cross eight-lane highways one lane at a time.
Others sharing the streets, such as bicyclists and pedestrians, are not afforded the same rights that they enjoy in North America. Forget the notion that a pedestrian is a sacred object when they are in a crosswalk. In Central America in particular, pedestrians must be creative when it comes to getting to the other side. I remember seeing cars actually accelerate in San Jose as I briskly half-jogged to get to the median on a four lane road. It was not uncommon for Josefinos to cross one lane at a time, straddling lane markings like a nimble tight-rope walker. This is night and day from the myriad of crosswalks in Princeton, NJ (where I spent four years of college and where I live currently) which mandate that cars must anticipate when a pedestrian is about to cross and slow down accordingly.
So while it can be a bit testing for a gringo like myself to navigate Latin American cities on foot, the opposite is often true for Latin Americans who come to the United States. I worked at the DC affiliate of Telemundo a couple of summers ago, and we did a story on Central American pedestrians who had been hit by buses and cars while crossing major streets. The reason they were hit was that they were not used to using crosswalks and attempted to cross eight-lane highways one lane at a time.
# posted by Juanson : 12:10 PM
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Christian,
I agree with you that pedestrian rights are generally not respected in Latin America. I also remember walking in San Jose and having Josefino drivers speed up as if to tell me, "This is my road, how dare you walk over it. This road is for vehicles not peatones."
When I lived in Latin America, I was bothered by the monumental lack of respect for the pedestrian. It is certainly different than most of the United States.
Yet India is even worse than Latin America. While the majority of Latinos will not let a pedestrian cross, a few will. In contrast, there is nary an Indian that will let a pedestrian pass. You just have to run at the right time.
Bombay's saving grace is that the roads are so bad and crowded that it is almost impossible to achieve speed - thus drivers can stop on a dime and accidents are not as frequent as they would be under other circumstances.
I know a Mumbaiker who is currently living in Mexico City. She commented that the chilangos were far better than the Mumbaikers in the way they treated pedestrians and in the way in which traffic functioned!
Everything is perspective. Compared to the United States, Latin American drivers are unruly and bad. But India is even more chaotic and makes much of Latin America seem organized in comparison.
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I agree with you that pedestrian rights are generally not respected in Latin America. I also remember walking in San Jose and having Josefino drivers speed up as if to tell me, "This is my road, how dare you walk over it. This road is for vehicles not peatones."
When I lived in Latin America, I was bothered by the monumental lack of respect for the pedestrian. It is certainly different than most of the United States.
Yet India is even worse than Latin America. While the majority of Latinos will not let a pedestrian cross, a few will. In contrast, there is nary an Indian that will let a pedestrian pass. You just have to run at the right time.
Bombay's saving grace is that the roads are so bad and crowded that it is almost impossible to achieve speed - thus drivers can stop on a dime and accidents are not as frequent as they would be under other circumstances.
I know a Mumbaiker who is currently living in Mexico City. She commented that the chilangos were far better than the Mumbaikers in the way they treated pedestrians and in the way in which traffic functioned!
Everything is perspective. Compared to the United States, Latin American drivers are unruly and bad. But India is even more chaotic and makes much of Latin America seem organized in comparison.
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