> Just like cars, bikes have a responsibility to look out for pedestrians and other vehicles and avoid hitting them.
If, as a pedestrian, you dart out in front of a car or a cyclist going at legal speeds, and there isn't room to swerve to avoid you, you're going to get hit. Period. Physics is inviolable on this count. Stopping distances are what they are.
You could just set citywide speed limits of 5 mph to decrease stopping distances enough to allow vehicles to avoid darting pedestrians, or pedestrians could just not step out in front of vehicles that have the right of way.
It's really not hard to, as a pedestrian, upon reaching a road or bikeway, look for oncoming traffic and yield to it if they have the right-of-way. If you insist on stepping in front of oncoming traffic and you get hit, that's on you.
> or pedestrians could just not step out in front of vehicles that have the right of way
Please note that in my original comment I was talking about bicycles which do not have the right of way, because they are going through a red light while pedestrians have the walk signal.
I was quite serious when I said "I rarely see bikes obey traffic laws at all". If you live in NYC you know what I'm talking about. They fly through red lights and stop signs putting themselves and others at great risk.
Bicycles are the reason that I carefully look both directions, usually twice, even when I have the walk signal when crossing the street.
When I was blundering about in Amsterdam I was very pleased to note that all the cyclists had bells on their bikes which they would ring when pedestrians were around, or clackers on the spokes so I could hear them coming. The sound of a bike bell became very recognisable very fast.
I can hear cars coming because they make a lot of road noise, bikes are ghostly quiet.
In my country a bike bell is mandaded by law on all bikes using public roads, altough it's not really enforced. All of my bikes are equipped with one, even the mountain bike. Pedestrians are not that used to bike bells and about 20%, especially the elderly can't hear it or choose to ignore you. People with kids on the other hand are always vigilant.
If, as a pedestrian, you dart out in front of a car or a cyclist going at legal speeds, and there isn't room to swerve to avoid you, you're going to get hit. Period. Physics is inviolable on this count. Stopping distances are what they are.
You could just set citywide speed limits of 5 mph to decrease stopping distances enough to allow vehicles to avoid darting pedestrians, or pedestrians could just not step out in front of vehicles that have the right of way.
It's really not hard to, as a pedestrian, upon reaching a road or bikeway, look for oncoming traffic and yield to it if they have the right-of-way. If you insist on stepping in front of oncoming traffic and you get hit, that's on you.