#2
There will be fewer people in the country.
Generally speaking, I don't mind people on an individual basis... but dealing with lots and lots of people, like on London pavements, really isn't up my street (excuse the pun).
One thing that always baffles me is why, when there are three or four people waiting at a pedestrian crossing, everyone assumes that it means that someone has pressed the button. IT DOESN'T. If no-one presses it, it doesn't press itself... the machine does not know that you are there. It's not magical. And it certainly does not mean if three or four people are already waiting patiently at the crossing for the lights to change, that one of them managed to pull their finger out to press the button. They probably assumed the first person who arrived did that, so don't bother checking. Instead they stand there like little lemmings waiting for the intelligent lights to telepathically clock that they are there and change.
The number of times I've arrived at a pedestrian crossing and the button hasn't been pressed despite a number of people waiting for the lights to change. I always wonder how long they could wait there like that before either thinking about checking whether the button has been pressed, or jump out in front of traffic regardless.
Jumping out in front of traffic seems to be a favourite pedestrian pastime at the busy crossroads near Angel Tube Station. Some people must have had the most dreadful days at work for them to want to commit suicide on their way home by throwing themselves under vans, cars, scooters or bikes. Poor souls, especially as none of them succeed. They do however scare themselves, so maybe a near death experience is traumatic enough to convince them that it's too soon to jack all in and life isn't really that bad. Next time they'll wait that extra 17 seconds for the Green Man to appear. Or, maybe not... some of them don't seem so smart.
Not that I can talk - I've had my far share of near misses whilst crossing the road. But I'd like to think that I learn from these - at least as far as I don't make the same mistake twice on the same road or crossing.
I'm sure in the country there are people who are just as annoying, but at least there will be fewer of them, and more space between us.
