Driver plows into three pedestrians downtown, runs away; passersby tend to the injured until EMTs arrive

Ideally in these pedestrian zones they install those automatic bollards that stay up until allowed vehicles approach them.

I've seen videos of idiot drivers try to sneak in past them after, in these cases, buses 'open' the road. I want to say they're in us in England. I'll see if I can find links. They're pretty great because the offending vehicles get bollards up the bottom of their car. Which costs money in addition to the embarrassment of being caught on camera.

In this location, allow only fire or police vehicles access. Though, because they retract to below the street, our snow and sand issues may wreak havoc on the system. But there has to be something out there that could be put to use.

here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Cw0QJU8ro

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IELpd43PMvk

It could be a little jarring to get knocked out for a second and wake up to a Minuteman, especially if he's checking on your thinking powers by asking you what year this is.

I was in NJ a month ago, and I found the drivers much more courteous than the ones, in general, I encounter in my home town. Perhaps I was just lucky? You can do better than broad generalizations.

The cops had nothing to fear - the area was already full of people, they need only clear them and get the rest of the cars whose drivers stopped at the scene out of the way. In fact, their work was made easier by citizen action at the scene.

There was a double decker bus full of tourists that was just ahead of the murderous driver's car and cleared the scene ... I'm sure that they saw everything. They would have been a much bigger target than the ones the murdermobile hit.

Pedestrians get only a 1/4 of the roadway space and outnumber drivers by orders of magnitude.

ALSO: TRAFFIC IN THE AREA IS DOING JUST FINE WITH ALL OF THIS CLOSED DOWN.

I was crossing, with the walk signal, in a Cambridge crosswalk when a pick up truck, who had the green (Cambridge, like Boston I believe, has something called concurrent signaling), took a left (at a high rate of speed) while I was smack dab in the intersection (he was not present in the intersection as I began to cross) and I had to dive hard into the gutter, in the opposite direction from the large grill that was bearing down on me, from being hit. I was not injured but it was close; just a large and painful bruise on my right upper thigh.

Although he had the green, like this car, I still had the right of way, according to the law. Folks need to drive accordingly when approaching crosswalks and/or areas where there are a lot of pedestrians, such as downtown crossing.

Personally, I do not like the idea of concurrent signaling. When I am crossing, I want the traffic to be stopped.

Needless to say, I am so paranoid now about crossing the streets around here and in Boston. Especially with the pedestrian hits the past couple of days.

So please be careful when crossing Portland St. at Broadway St.

(Oh, to add insult to injury, the driver was not cited by the police. A letter from me and then a call with the Superintendent, almost a week later, informed me that they, the police, were in error and he should of been cited.)

I wish you were one of my witnesses for my near hit last week. I gave the driver a good screaming at but I think you would of gave him a better what for.