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Bend

They wait



Years ago, before I'd ever been anywhere far enough away to know about cultural peculiarities, I noticed that drivers in Bend Oregon wait for a pedestrian after he's out of the way.

If you don't get all the way across the street on foot in Bend, Oregon, drivers will show you how "nice" they are. That's the credo here: "be nice, you're in Bend." If you know how to cross a street and plan your trajectory, the local motorists will try to make you uncomfortable. It's conspicuous, peculiar to the locale, and reliable. You don't have to watch to observe this: just listen. You can see that the car in the near lane is going to be able to pass unimpeded if you go now, so you go. But the driver doesn't like that. And if you don't have at least one foot on the far curb, he'll slow down, to "give you time," even though you're out of the way. And after he passes, he'll press his foot heavy on the accellerator, even if there's a stoplight ahead. What this means, one may guess. But it's almost one hundred percent consistent.


Comment
If you take the initiative as a pedestrian you are likely to incur the disapproval of local motorists. You can hear it as they pass behind you with plenty of room.

If you're crossing traffic as a pedestrian in Bend Oregon and you don't reach the other side before a car gets to that point, its driver will be disappointed. crosses any part of the street there the only acceptable form of aggression within city limits