Baxley: State law at odds with reality in Sun City
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I love Sun City! it is a privilege to be here during this segue from spring to summer.
I love our neighbors. They are funny and thoughtful and considerate towards one another. Many of us walk for peace of mind and fitness of body and enjoyment of the vast blue sky and the birds and the sidewalks most of all. Since being a child during the 1960s, I’ve never seen sidewalks leading from my door out to wherever I want to go and seeing such beauty! A major treat is being able to walk and find a mailbox to keep that grand tradition alive.
Walking in Sun City is an art. For self-preservation one should wear bright colors so that people who have trouble seeing yet are still driving can more easily avoid hitting us. We are ever mindful of the need to stay out of their way. The final rule of engagement for a pedestrian is to avoid entering the air space of a fellow walker or gardener or bus rider. When I see somebody coming towards me from a block away or nearer or farther away, I cross to the other side of the street to avoid the opportunity to converse or exchange droplets of personal infectious air if we happen to be asymptomatic on the virus.
The Arizona statutes regarding pedestrian behavior were drafted in a different era. Sometimes it’s necessary to cross in the middle of a block to avoid a meeting with a fellow human.
