A Novel With Pedestrian Characters

Usually the characters of a novel are considered to be a bit boring if they are described as "pedestrian," but the leading lady and man in my story are pedestrians who travel on foot, and this mode of transportation can be quite exciting.  Why is walking, biking, or taking the bus seen as a lack of independence in the United States?  On many programs I hear people complain about how they had to drive an adult friend or family member around town, but they never thought of getting that person a bike, or showing them how to read a transit map.  Actually, being a pedestrian means you have to be very good with directions, and there is no room for error.  When you are riding the bus in Los Angeles you definitely have to be good with directions, and I have family members who love to drive that call me on how to get places.

So even though the majority of people want to drive, there are always going to be people who prefer to walk.  Many people in New York take public transit and walk all the time, and I have always thought that city's emphasis walkablity was a good thing.

If you decide to walk or bike people always ask why, but they never consider to think you just see no point to driving.  Maybe some day the falsehood that people cannot get around without a car will fade away, and I know fellow pedestrians probably get tired of people always asking when they are going to get their driver's license.  After a certain age people will finally stop asking that question, but sometimes people without have do have driver's licenses and just prefer walking over driving.  I can walk three miles in about forty minutes, so for me this is the perfect workout.  I do not have to pay for a car maintenance or a gym membership, so walking is the way to travel for me.

In many novels we have characters working on their cars or talking about their cars, but rarely do we have characters who abandon their cars in favor of walking.  My novel is not all about pedestrians in general, but I felt I wanted to write about characters I could identify with.  I remember years ago meeting one guy who said I needed to drive so he could have something to talk with me about, and then I no longer wanted to talk with him.  I have no interest in cars beyond the fact these are devices that get people places, and I know a lot of people who drive that feel the same way.  Not everyone is excited by a flashy ride, and I felt it was about time to have two leading characters that also feel this way.

Comment On the Ellen Show I Do Not Agree With

Today I was watching the Ellen show because now that I do not have cable, I only receive over the air channels with my antennae. To be honest I usually do not watch network TV because I do not like commercials, and usually preferred to only watch movies and documentaries on HBO, which I dearly miss. Today I turned on the TV and was listening to the Ellen show for a bit, and whereas I think it is nice she gave a struggling mother a fuel efficient car to help her out, I simply had to disagree with how Ellen mentioned several times that it is not good to walk several miles everyday.

 I guess Ellen I just do not agree with Ellen on this one.   Walking is healthy, safe, and good for the environment, and many groups are encouraging kids and parents to bike and walk to school more. Ellen made a big deal about how walking a mile to and from school is way too far, but I could not help but shake my head and think I walked two miles each way when I was a school kid. Some people who like to walk and do not want to drive, and there is nothing wrong with that. Fitness experts recommend getting at least thirty minutes of exercise per day, and walking a mile to a location would be a great way to meet this minimum requirement. 

Why are some Americans so opposed to walking even short distances? Some people would rather take a tram or drive than even walk a short five minute stroll? Whenever I wanted to walk rather than take a tram from the parking lot to the front entrance of an amusement park, there were always some people in our group had a conniption fit, but I could not help but think if you are walking around a park all day, how are a few minutes from the parking lot to the entrance going to make much difference?

Some people that lecture me about walking and how I should drive are willing to pay a high gym bill, and I cannot help but think I get as much exercise as someone going to a gym several times a week, and mine is for free. So that is nice Ellen wanted to help out a mother with young kids by giving her a car, but she does not have to slight pedestrians just because she thinks walking several mile a day might seem too far. Of course this is just someone's opinion, but now more than ever with oil spills and air pollution, I am much more content with my pedestrian lifestyle. There is nothing in the year 2010 that would compel me to want to drive or buy a new car.

Yield to Pedestrians in Cross Walks

A major annoyance, and danger, for us pedestrians are vehicles that fail to yield to us in cross walks when there is a walking light. This can be quite daunting when a giant SUV leaves you marooned in the center of the street, and the cars behind it may not necessarily see you until they approach the intersection. A pedestrian should not have to shout and motion to a car to stop in the first place, and you should see when there is a walking light. It is especially scary cross California Street here in Redlands in the middle of the day during heavy traffic, which tends to be the part of the day when motorists lack manners the most and cut off pedestrians with the walking light. Many of us pedestrians wait for our turn to cross, and it is disconcerting that vehicles that are going to get to their location faster than a person on foot are in such a rush that they will go ahead at make their right turn, and not look for people crossing the street. When one vehicle refuses to yield for a pedestrian with the walking light on California Street, a long stream of these cars continue to make their right hand turns, and could care less if they put pedestrians in jeopardy. Slow down, look at the lights, and yield for pedestrian traffic!

Walking Is My Life

Walking is my life and this is how I get around town. When I was sixteen I remember taking driver's education because everyone said this is what people are supposed to do: drive. However, I waited until I was twenty-one to take driver's training behind the wheel, and let me just say I am a nervous driving. Rather than spend my life stressing about how driving makes me nervous, I prefer to be a pedestrian and to walk everywhere and anywhere. For me walking is transportation and a pleasure, and allows me to explore hidden parts of towns other people may never see when they are zipping by in their cars. This blog will celebrate the pedestrian life because it is nothing to be ashamed of!