I was born and raised in New York City, so coming to Hanover for college was a pretty big transition. Here, the air is cleaner, there aren't sirens blaring or cop cars zooming around all the time and there is no need for public transportation. The biggest change, though, was coming to a place with no traffic.
The rules of traffic in New York are very simple. It's all about the survival of the fittest. Knowing when you should just wait for the light and when you have time to run across the street while simultaneously determining if that taxi charging toward you is about to turn or if it's going to run you down can mean the difference between life and death. In Hanover, though, the rules are all muddled. Apparently, the law is that if a pedestrian puts even one foot in the street, all cars within a 200-foot radius are required to stop. While this might be a good law in theory, it has definitely caused me more harm than good. I have also developed several traffic complexes during my time in Hanover.
I feel awkward about slowing down traffic so much. It has been drilled into my head that if there are 17 cars on the road, one must wait until they have all passed to cross. At Dartmouth, however, if I'm standing on the sidewalk in the middle of such a brigade, the cars usually stop just briefly enough for me to run across the street. To me, this seems pointless. I would much rather walk, and I'm sure all those drivers would much rather not wait for me to mosey across the street.
Another one of Hanover's great confusions is that mess on Main Street. Whenever I finally decide that the cars have stopped long enough for me to go, they all start driving. So I've basically given up and now just wait for the walk sign like all the other responsible citizens around me. There is also the occasional rogue Hanover driver who tends to exhibit erratic behavior.
These drivers will not stop for anything, including a pack of students trying to get to class. Ironically, the one time I've almost gotten hit by a car here, it was driven by a geriatric-looking man wearing a baseball cap and Ray Ban sunglasses who clearly did not belong behind a wheel. That was the only time I've ever heard tires screeching in Hanover.
One of the disadvantages of the quarter system is how quickly terms pass. Habits don't really have time to become fully ingrained, so I spend most of my time in traffic limbo. Usually by week eight, I have the Hanover rules down, but they don't become automatic until after it is time to leave for vacation. By the time I get home, I'm so set in my Hanover ways that I still think that I own the street. If I step off the sidewalk, you had BETTER stop for me!
That is not how the world works. The first couple days of break, I cross the street like my mother does by waiting for the walk sign, even if there have been no cars for a long time. Despite this, I have encountered many situations in which I simply forgot I wasn't at dear old Dartmouth and almost got hit by a car. Who needs morning coffee when you suddenly realize you're between two lanes of speeding vehicles? Not me.
Fortunately, I've been on since the fall and won't be off again until next fall, so my time spent in the concrete jungle has been pretty brief. Unforttunately, I am probably working there next fall. Look out for me. If I seem like I'm about to step into traffic, please let me know.
I'll be the girl in the Dartmouth sweatshirt, waiting for the light to change.
