Fun with Crosswalks

Ever wanted to have a good laugh while walking about in a city? Here's a fun one that worked for me -

Terrain: You will need a crosswalk with traffic lights and pedestrian signals (countdown timer is best, but 10-second warning flasher is ok) on a moderately busy city street, preferably not more than four lanes across.

Setup: You are walking down the sidewalk (preferably on the left side of the road) toward the crosswalk with the light green in your direction and plenty of time to spare on the countdown timer. There is crosstraffic waiting at the red light (ideally, the first vehicle in line is a bus or other heavy truck).

Action: As you continue toward the crosswalk, wait until you see the driver of the lead crosstraffic vehicle look at you. While he is watching you, look up at the pedestrian signal and suddenly dash forward as though trying to race the countdown. As you near the intersection, stop short in disgust, perhaps shaking your head that you didn't make it. Watch with amusement as the driver puts his vehicle in gear and eases forward. Bonus points if he covers more than half of the crosswalk width with the front of his machine before discovering the false start. Proceed to cross the street and go on your way.

((((((((((((((((((((((()
As a marginally related matter, have you ever wondered about whether our racist pedestrian controls led to the depopulation of the Indians? After all, look at which direction traffic is going when the "white man cross now" sign flashes, and which direction the traffic is going when the red man "How!" sign is lit...