Hailing without stepping into traffic

Day 232: Hailing without stepping into traffic. Build muscle memory for one specific street scenario. Week 34 of the year-long curriculum. Here are the rules for this one. Try this one as a thought experiment: a Long Island City crossing near a truck route. Here's what keeps you out of trouble. Hail from the curb, not the lane. Stand at the corner with your arm out — a cab will pull to you, not the other way around. Drill it once and you'll catch yourself doing it without thinking. Three things to do. Do 1: Stand on the curb at the corner where cabs can see you a block away. Do 2: Use a ride-hail app and meet the car at the curb. Do 3: Open the door only after the car has fully stopped at the curb. Three things to avoid. Avoid 1: Stepping into the lane to flag a cab approaching from behind. Avoid 2: Standing in the bike lane while you wait for a pickup. Avoid 3: Opening a rear door into traffic without checking for cyclists. Why this matters: Cab hails into a live lane cause both pedestrian strikes and door-opening crashes with cyclists. The curb is the safe staging area. Risky move: Standing at the edge of the platform with toes over the yellow strip. A bump or a gust from an approaching train can pull you forward. Stay behind the tactile strip. Safe move: Crossing only at the marked crosswalk even if it adds 20 seconds. Drivers expect pedestrians at corners and almost never expect them mid-block. Risky move: Hopping off the curb to wave down a cab in a moving lane. Drivers behind the cab won't expect a pedestrian in the lane. Wait at the curb. Safe move: Stepping back when a cyclist rings a bell behind you. A bell is a request for space. Giving it prevents a sudden swerve into traffic. Risky move: Trusting a turn signal as a promise the driver will yield. A blinker shows intent, not yielding. Wait until the vehicle actually slows. Safe move: Walking an extra block to a lit, signaled corner after dark. Lighting plus a signal dramatically cuts your risk at night. Risky move: Sprinting across on a solid red hand because traffic looks clear. Turning vehicles and e-bikes appear fast. The signal protects you from things you cannot see. Risky move: Crossing diagonally through an intersection to save time. Diagonal crossings double your exposure to turning vehicles from every direction. Risky move: Crossing in front of a stopped school bus that still has its stop arm out. Kids are crossing or about to cross. Wait for the arm to retract. Safe move: Pausing before a turning SUV until the driver makes eye contact. Confirming the driver sees you is the single best habit at a corner. Risky move: Walking out from behind a tall SUV without leaning to look first. Drivers in the next lane can't see you and you can't see them — a classic blind-pull collision. Safe move: Looking both ways on a one-way street every single time. Covers the wrong-way cyclist, scooter, or driver you did not plan for. Risky move: Crossing a one-way street while only looking the way cars come. Cyclists, scooters, and wrong-way drivers come from the other side too. Safe move: Using the push button at intersections that have one. It often extends the walk phase — more time to finish the crossing safely. Risky move: Walking next to a truck that has its right turn signal on. Truck right turns are the deadliest interaction for pedestrians. Stop and let it pass. Safe move: Pulling out one earbud as you approach an intersection. Restoring your hearing restores most of your situational awareness. Risky move: Crossing while a delivery e-bike is approaching at speed. E-bikes are faster and quieter than they look. Let them pass first. Safe move: Standing behind the tactile strip until the train fully stops. Keeps you outside the danger zone for sway, suction, and the platform gap. Risky move: Darting out from between two parked vans. Drivers cannot see you and you cannot see them. Classic dart-out collision. Safe move: Waiting on the curb until the steady white walker appears. Steady walker is your green light. Cross at a normal pace. Watch the clip, then decide which of these reads is the safer call for hailing without stepping into traffic.