Cuba, a nation of brazen jaywalkers, asks island scofflaws to mind the rules of the road

[Judi Lynn]

Cuba, a nation of brazen jaywalkers, asks island scofflaws to mind the rules of the road
By Associated Press,
Updated: Monday, March 4, 1:43 PM

HAVANA — Teenagers dash across a six-lane thoroughfare and launch themselves into the balmy waters of the Straits of Florida.

A couple skips the sidewalk and strolls down an unlit street as bulky 1950s cars with bald tires and worn brakes zip past inches away.

“Here there is no custom of using the crosswalk,” said Maria Rubio, a 55-year-old Havana resident who had just sauntered across the six lanes of bustling 23rd Street, mere steps from a zebra-striped crossing. “We simply cross wherever we are.”

Jaywalking is endemic in Havana, where islanders seem to treat the streets like a real-life version of the video game Frogger, weaving in and out of traffic while risking life and limb to reach the other side. Locals call it “toreando autos” — “bullfighting with cars.”

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/cuba-a-nation-of-brazen-jaywalkers-asks-island-scofflaws-to-mind-the-rules-of-the-road/2013/03/04/57e3191e-8501-11e2-a80b-3edc779b676f_story.html

(I wanted to share this story because the rush to publish the story caused the corporate media to forget they have previously shown only photos from the ancient, crumbling part of old Havana. That has ALWAYS been their unbroken rule. They always have also shown only the very old 1950's (or older) cars, completely blocking photos of European cars which have been in Cuba for decades.

This is a rare exception to their Cuba-specific stories.)

[Bacchus4.0]

1. I don't see any newer European cars in the photos

I doubt there was a rush to publish a story on jaywalking in Havana.

Here is a youtube video showing traffic in Havana. Lots of old American cars as well as what appears to be Eastern European and Russian. This is probably a fair representation of vehicles in Cuba given its a stationary camera that is simply recording traffic at that specific location although I doubt its rush hour as the title says. \

I would agree that some of those european cars have been in Cuba for decades, just like the American cars.

[naaman fletcher]

3. I think the basic issue

Is just that there aren't many cars on the road, therefore there is no reason not to cross when you want.

[FrodosPet]

2. Reminds me of Ann Arbor

'I'm nineteen and smart enough to go to the University of Michigan. No one would EVER hit me if I just randomly cross the street!' seems to be a common attitude there. It is terrifying driving through DTAA.

[flamingdem]

4. Driving in havana requires all the senses

Or videogame like dodging skills