I’m not a great fan of the classic film Midnight Cowboy, but anyone who walks around New York can sympathize with Dustin Hoffman’s rant at a car that cuts him off in a crosswalk – the line I used as the title of this post. I found so many examples of signs telling walkers where to go (pun intended) that I’ll post them in two parts. Here’s the first one:
At least this one’s polite!
“Use opposite side of street.” Hm…m. Not the opposite sidewalk? Okay, I’ll put that one in the “you should know enough to walk on the sidewalk” category, notwithstanding the number of people wandering in the roadway near this sign – and everywhere else in NYC. But there’s another problem. Given that Midtown street corners inevitably host a small crowd, regardless of the time of day, the singular “pedestrian” is puzzling. Maybe the signwriter thought the personal touch – I’m talking to you, only you! – would be more effective? New Yorkers, after all, have a reputation for self-absorption, and common wisdom holds that we frequently ignore rules.
That rebelliousness, though, may simply be confusion. What would you do at this corner?
How’s that again?
Lest you think that two crosswalks, one open and one closed, are involved, let me reassure you that only one appears at this site. So you should use the crosswalk, which is closed. Got it?
One more for today:
At least this one is clear.
In case the context isn’t visible in the photo, this spray-painted sign tells “pedestrian” (again with the singular!) that under no circumstances can he or she walk through the stone wall of the building behind the sign. (And yes, I know it’s a temporary barrier, but it’s been in place long enough to qualify as “nonsense walkers put up with” in NYC.)
Stay tuned for part 2, coming soon, but not to a theater near you.
I *so* love your snarky comments! Let’s face it, these abominations deserve all the snark they get!
BTW, re the bottom orange thing, it sure is *not* clear, lol!! First, the dark orange paint on the light orange plastic, who’s the brainiac who thought that would be visible?? Also, at first glance, I confess it looked like medieval stocks to me! In fact, the creator of this thing should be the first to be punished in it! 😀
Now that you mention it, Ellie, the barrier does look like medieval stocks! I had never seen it that way before, but now the resemblance is obvious.
My first thought when I saw the orange barrier was that if you did not have a pedestrian with you, you could not enter. Remember to always bring your pedestrian! 😉
Excellent point, as the bottom label on the orange barrier is “No entry.” So you could read the whole things as “No pedestrian, no entry.” (I added the comma.)