Korean Job Discussion Forums

[philipjames]

Every day I see countless cars and trucks blocking entire crosswalks. WTF? What kind of mind says, "Now where can I park?....Oh, there's a space. I'll park my car there for the day" and proceeds to park on the white lines of the crosswalk. And cops do nothing about it. People, for their part, seem to tolerate it.

And when you do find a crosswalk that is not fully obstructed, and opt to cross the road, you take your friggin life in your hands. The bastards barely slow down. That is, of course, when they don't intentionally speed up upon seeing a pedestrian with the audacity to use the crosswalk. Many take diabolical glee from pulling up in front of the person crossing the road (half way across) and stopping. When you knock on the hood as you go around them they often nod and mouth an insincere apology. They clearly know they are being obnoxious and breaking the law.

But the cops do nothing. My questions is, why waste a million gallons of paint on crosswalks (and the countless hours required to apply that paint) if their proper use is not going to be enforced.

Why even bother painting them?

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Because the Americans like to drive their jeeps on roads that have crosswalks.

[SuperFly]

"It's because Korea is such a small country."

or

"In Korea, the car is king."


or

"If you don't like our way, why don't you go back to your country?"





Take your pick...

[Whistleblower]

I drive in Korea and I always stop at crosswalks (zebra crossings for those from the UK) but the cars behind me hate it. They revert to using a horn when I stop and when the people are crossing they just wave and stare at those impatient arshiles behind me.

Sometimes when I stop for pedestrians and cars decide to use the horn trick I stop, put my car in neutral, and proceed to walk to the car and speak to the driver in English.

Luckily for me the drivers that I have approached have apologised and said they didn't know I was a foreigner. Foreigner or not, it is pure impatience. I respect pedestrians and expect cars to stop for me at crosswalks. If they nudge forward I like to take my fist against their bonnet. What can they do? Nothing the car was in the way and nearly knocked me down.

[Bingo]

I agree. It's frickin rediculous. Near my school there's a wide crosswalk, but everyday there's this same stretch limo that parks across the entire crosswalk, from one end to the next. Then there's the j@rks who park bumper to bumper on the crosswalk so that you can't even squeeze through. Then there's the aszholes who, as you are standing there preparing to step onto the crosswalk pull up in front of you, park and get out.

It's rare that I see a crosswalk that is completely unobstructed. It's absolutely amazing. They don't even know how to locate a crosswalk. It's like they leave it up to the dude with the paint, suffering from an all-nighter, to determine where to place the crosswalk.

Sometimes I don't know how this pathetic little peninsula ever got anywhere.

[philipjames]

Sometimes I get really furious. People honking at me as I walk across the crosswalk. People passing just behind me at high speeds almost clipping my ankles as I cross the road. Cars that, rather than stopping or slowing down, go around me onto the opposite side of the road to keep going at the same speed. Motorcycles who change their trajectory to come straight at you when you dare to use the crosswalks.

[Bingo]

The worst incident I've seen yet (out of countless cases of gross inconsideration) happened a couple of months ago near my school. One of my students was walking home and was about 100 feet ahead of me. He was crossing a major road on the crosswalk and he got to the middle of the road but could go no further. Cars were flying past this kid (fourth grade in elementary school) who's standing there in the middle of the road petrified. Not one bastard had the decency to stop and let him cross. Then, the cars start coming down the other side of the road (that he had already successfully crossed). First a couple here and a couple there, then he could see a wall of cars coming and had to dash back to the sidewalk from where he started. If he hadn't this poor kid would have been standing on the centre line of the road as cars flew past him on both sides. I was almost sick with anger. I caught up with him took his hand and led him across the road, fully prepared to tear the limbs off any driver who came within ten feet of us.

These people have no sense of decency. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised at their willingness to endanger a child's life. They do it everytime they fail to put 8 month old Me Suk into a safety seat, or let ten year old Jin Su play at the back window as he flies through a red light at 100 kilometres an hour.

Peasants should not be allowed to drive.

[Scotticus]

[Bibbitybop]

I agree with the OP's complaint, as a pedestrian.

From a different angle, as a motorbike rider, I like crosswalks. Keep in mind, I always give way and make way for pedestrians in crosswalks.

1. When people do stop in front of them it gives me room to move to the front of the line.

2. It allows me to make a U-turn without finding a U-turn lane.


I don't like pedestrians in crosswalks who:

1. Enter a crosswalk too late to make it across and then take their sweet ass time to cross.

2. Stop in the un-signaled crosswalks to think about who-knows-what or to talk to their friend.

[pkang0202]

Buy a digital camera, a tow truck, and a fenced in garage. Tow every car parked at a crosswalk and charge 100,000w to get the car released. You'll be a millionaire in no time.

[Whistleblower]

That's what they do to cars in the UK. Imagine cars being towed away for being illegally parked in Korea, only seen it once.

[Ilsanman]

If you bang on their hood or trunk (or even tap it lightly as a sort of warning) they'll apologize if you're bigger. If they're bigger, they'll get out and try to bully you.

[Bingo]

I hate the b@stards that still pull in front of you even though you're half-way across the road, forcing you to stop. And the jerks who you let 'pass' before you step onto the crosswalk. Instead of being grateful for your gesture, they pull up on the crosswak and stop directly in front of you. I just don't think Koreans are taught manners as children. It's a shame, because it make them all look like rude ignoramuses.

[mistermasan]

just whip out your cellphone camera and act like you are taping them. the expressions you'll see are priceless!

heck...actually record tehm and submit to whomever.

[pocariboy73]

I say do away with "Handicap Parking spots" as well. 99% of the time a car is parked there without the Handicap Sign on there dashboard. It's always some ignorant beephole who cares only for him/herself. I would hate to be a handicap person in this country who has to park a mile away cuz some lazy jerk parks his car in the handicap parking zone.

So sparkling!