At crosswalks in Worcester I'm crossing my fingers, too.

Byline: Cory Hopkins 

COLUMN: AS I SEE IT

Have you been out walking the streets of our fair city lately? I have, and the lack of respect for pedestrians appalls me.

Being a dog owner, I put my daughter in her stroller twice a day, weather permitting, and we take our dog for a walk. We usually walk for at least 45 minutes each time and cross a fair number of streets in the process. I always try to look for and use a marked crosswalk when we cross a street.

We are very visible. I am not small after having given birth not long ago, and we have a huge blue stroller and a black-and-white medium-sized dog. I do not think the reason that people ignore us is due to their lack of visual skills.

In fact, usually when a car passes us waiting at the crosswalk, the driver will gawk at us unabashedly. I would estimate that one in six cars will stop for us on average.

Last week, I even had a Worcester police officer cruise by as we were waiting to cross Providence Street. He looked me straight in the face and kept going without stopping.

I know some might say that the officer was on a call and that is why he did not stop, but he was going slower than the speed limit, no sirens or lights blazing, and looked like he was just cruising the neighborhood.

I know we are all in a hurry to get places. I know there are more pressing issues to deal with in our city, but I think this lack of respect toward pedestrians is just one symptom of what is going on here in Worcester. Where is the love, people? We really need to slow down and start recognizing that people are important, not your precious belongings, vehicle, or how fast you can get from downtown to Lincoln Street.

I am really fed up with feeling like we are a city of enemies. What happened to saying hello to a stranger you meet on the street?

Are we all a bunch of scaredy-cats, preparing ourselves for the mugging that could possibly occur if we dare to say hello to someone? If you look at statistics, you will see that Worcester is a relatively safe place to live, and the more we reach out and talk to our neighbors, the safer it gets.

If I saw someone in trouble or even something as simple as a woman with a baby carriage trying to cross at a crosswalk, I would stop and help or stop and let them cross. Can't we try to be kind people here in Worcester and help our neighbors if they need it?

Let's make this the kind of city that outsiders want to move to because of our great sense of community kindness. We deserve to live in a city where the officers who are paid to "serve and protect" will actually stop for you when you are standing in a crosswalk. We could all be a little more respectful and kind.

Cory Hopkins lives in Worcester.

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: Cory Hopkins