Shanks’s pony

I think it’s time we had a chat about pedestrians.
I’m actually a fan of jaywalkers. I love the anarchic, ‘stick it to the man’ quality of it. However, I’ve had two experiences of it this week that were quite alarming.
The first was in the cold, rain, and dark while I had my daughter as a pillion passenger on my scooter, and we were running late to yoga. A woman just walked across the road in front of us, towing a large suitcase behind. This was on The Terrace, not a crossing to be undertaken lightly. She didn’t even look at us as she ambled past. I had to slow down so much I was at risk of toppling over.  I was so taken aback I actually tooted at her, something I rarely ever do. Not that she paid me any mind, but it made me feel better.
The second instance was as I was scootering home from work. I was ahead of the queue of traffic on Karo Drive, heading towards the motorway on-ramp. Our light turned green but there was an elderly rotund gentleman making his way right across our path. He was on the pedestrian crossing but he must have had the angry red man telling him not to try it for quite a while before he set off. He was making no attempt to hurry but was just glaring at us as we all motored towards him. Luckily I remembered from my daughters’ recent studying of the road code that I wasn’t allowed to mow the man down, even though it would have been totally his own fault. I don’t remember that rule from my youth, possibly I have just forgotten but I suspect it’s a sign of just how soft we’ve all become as a society in the years since. A brief stint in hospital might be just the short sharp shock these people need (Ed’s note: this view contravenes company policy and does not reflect my thoughts in a saner moment). The roads were a much more Darwinian place in my youth. Seat belts optional, hordes of kids unrestrained in the back, a decrepit car fleet. Mayhem.
I see the latest Teslas have got external speakers to warn pedestrians of your approach by playing a noise of your choice.  Obviously sounding like a muscle car is one of the options, but I think I’d go for something a bit more space age. It’s not a feature on my current car so I have plenty of time to think it over. What did the Jetson’s flying car sound like, I wonder?