Since I became New To Seattle, I have been struck by the way Seattle drivers go out of their way to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks. Even if it is the law, I consider this an attribute of the local character. Believe me, it’s not that way in many other places across the country.
So in that light, consider the photo to the right I took on a trip this week to Southern California. It shows a sign posted at a pedestrian crosswalk in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita, where I once lived.
The sign reads, “Caution Watch for Vehicles.”
When it comes to pedestrian crosswalk rights, California has pretty much the same law as Washington State. But clearly, someone felt it necessary to add an extra warning at one place in the Golden State.
I can just imagine the stink that would be raised in Seattle by a sign like this directed at pedestrians in a crosswalk rather than motorists. Another attribute of the local character.