I have no other way of getting this message out, so I’ve decided to use this forum in the hopes of reaching as many Frum woman in the Catskills as possible.
It’s not if. But when. A Frum woman WILL get killed walking on the road while doing exercise in the Catskills. I pray it never happens, but it will. What I’ve seen this summer is just so beyond the pale of normalcy, that I am just stunned.
I have no issue with exercise in general, women who are running, biking or walking on the road. My issue is how they do it.
I am located in the Monticello area, and I drive on Fraser Road every single day and I have nearly collided head-on with trucks, buses or other cars, instead of mowing down four pedestrians at a time.
Explain to me why every group of women walking on the road have decided to simply ignore vehicular traffic, and walk not only two across, not only THREE but as many as FOUR across on a two lane road (without any markings). This leaves a vehicle coming up behind them to be forced into oncoming traffic, while the vehicles in the opposite direction are doing the very same thing – swerving to avoid people walking in the opposite direction.
These stupid people are putting their lives in danger, while convincing themselves they are saving their lives by doing exercise.
The non-Jewish drivers pass by and curse and scream at the Frum woman, and I have heard the responses. “Those anti-Semites!” Actually, I have no idea if they are or they aren’t anti-Semites. But what I do know, is that you ladies will get killed on these roads.
But that isn’t all.
Not only are these women endangering not only their own lives but the lives of people driving the vehicles, but why do they insist on pushing their baby carriages on a road where people are driving 45 miles per hour, with no shoulder, and they decide to refuse to move over for passing vehicles. Explain this logic to me. Are they trying to have their children murdered? And get this: In the POURING RAIN they push baby carriages 6 feet into the road, while three other friends are walking with them.
This is so irresponsible of these women. It’s disgusting and I call upon the Police to start enforcing the laws and ticket pedestrians breaking the laws and who have zero regard for passing vehicles, as well as zero regard for their own lives.
Either walk normally in a single file on the shoulder, get off the road when a vehicle is approaching, or get off the roads before you all start receiving summonses or get yourselves killed chas vesholom.
I rest my case.
Anonymous from Clearview.
NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.
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39 Responses
These women might be divorced , they are murderers.
Let’s have the police do some enforcing of road rules.
If someone could get clear video pictures and publicize them on line might be helpful.
It’s all part of the” Magia lee” phenomenon and i’m better then you because i’m frummer then u . I’m better then u because i’m an orthodox jew.even if it means that im putting myself and my babies in harms Way.
OMG – Every single word in this letter is true. Its crazy how the ladies walk on the roads and ignore the cars.
i see this all the time. someone will get killed. chassidish ladies think they are in williamsburg or boro park walking.
oh silly me. no that cant be true.
a woman cant walk in williamsburg or boro park
This sort of thing isn’t just confined to walking habits, and it’s not just confined to the Catskills. More and more often, I’ve noticed that people are simply oblivious to the world and to the consequences of things that happen in it. Like the family who thinks they don’t need smoke detectors, or people who text while driving. And it isn’t just a matter of being too distracted by the cell phone. People have literally not learned to think in terms of the reality out there and how they have to take it into account.
Is this the educational system? Some other societal influence? We used to be the world’s greatest realists, because we had to be just to survive. What’s happened?
Perhaps camps and bungalow colonies can post a large sign warning people who walk on the country roads to observe basic walking rules and list those rules. It would be a tremendous zechus for someone located in the Mountains during the summer to undertake such a project and it can even be done in the zechus of a Niftar or Nefteres to help finance any costs associated with this undertaking.
Klal Yisroel are Rachmanim B’nai Rachmanim and I’m sure there are several people who would invest the time and money to publicize this potential danger – V’nishmartem M’od L’Nafshoseichem. Tizku L’Mitzvos.
@HaDaiya vHaDibur – Post a warning? LOLOL
These woman couldn’t give a hoot about basic decency to walk on the shoulder. If they did, they would have long been walking like mentchen.
The letter writer said he doesn’t know if they are anti-Semitic or not. One thing is for sure, after nearly totaling their cars after swerving to avoid a lady, and nearly colliding headon with those rough Excellent buses, they most definitely become instant haters.
Oh the Excellent buses your asking about?
Yes. Yes. Those wonderful buses run by chassidim who have zero regard for the law. Just come to Fraser Road and Old Liberty Road and watch the illegal U-turn this bus makes 4 times a day, nearly killing anyone in it’s path.
ywn you have the right to edit the editorial. the same letter could of been written about women without mentioning chasidim and there would be no terrible comments . why cant the same letter be written about the problem without discussing which women are doing it.
Just ticket a handful of pedetrians and your guaranteed to have this machla come to a full stop.
Its the only language most of know besides yiddish.
100% right i drive up and down Fraser Rd a few times a day it is soooo dangerous and when they walk down the 42 it’s even worse where we’re going 55-60 mph it’s crazy thank you for trying to do something about it I wish it will actually help something!
after rereading i note that it does not mention chasidim
It is an attitude of being careless about anything that goes on around them and everything has to serve me, I see it the whole time in the streets. Disgusting…
‘The rules are made for everyone but me’; I often wonder where this attitude comes from and what the community does to promote it? Cannot these individuals walk and exercise within their bungalow communities? Safety Town is a wonderful program designed for kids to learn road and street safety. It’s delivered by local LE in public schools. Perhaps the frumma should choose to have Safety Towns for both kids and adults so that they can understand the rules of the road and basic street safety?
@LbJ I simply can not stop laughing at how u just put your foot in your mouth…no offense just hilarious.
@Midwest2 – can confirm. There’s a sore need to teach spatial awareness and common decency. Enough said.
The “oblivious” or “entitled” behavior phenomenon is not limited to any one particular sect within Judaism. I see this everywhere. In restaurants, at weddings, in lines at the store… parking, double parking, triple parking, parking on the sidewalk, blocking driveways, stopping in the middle of the street with reckless disregard for others around them, and on and on and on. And, I have to say, this isn’t a Boro Park issue or a Country issue. I see behavior like this from BP, to Flatbush, to Main St. Queens, Central Ave in the 5Towns and beyond. I am always amazed when I confront someone blocking my driveway, by, “I’ll just be a minute…”. Once I got, “…don’t talk to me like that… I’m not some goy… “. Seriously? Is it a level of non-socialization and separation on our part that prompts this type of behavior? Lack of education? EGO, narcissism? Kids nowadays conditioned to feel entitled?Or just ignorance? Enough of this nonsense. I imagine the ladies in the above piece, if ticketed, would craft a great story to publish here and other papers claiming “anti-semetic police officers ticketed them”. Can’t wait…
I agree with you on the point that the pedestrians should be more careful, and move over to the side of the road when cars are coming in either direction. But I hope you’re not the guy (a frum Jew ) that drove (flew) on Fraser road a couple of weeks ago, going at least 65 mph on a road where the limit is 40. When I motioned to him to slow down, not only did he do so and realized how iresponsible he was, but he flipped his finger to me and sped off, like a murderer that was about to kill anyone sharing the road with him. So drivers slow it down and be considerate, the walkers might be your own wife, sister, mother or child.
Can I know what part of chassidus has a shaychis with ladies walking on dangerous roads? Many litvishe ladies do there exercise too! Please stop the hate! I know its not elul yet but these haters above can be an early bird tshuva doer!
It’s all true. I have a summer bungalow close by. There’s one correction I need to make the people walking are Litvish Chassidish, Modern Orthodox. It’s not confined to one particular group. When I honk my horn at them while driving they look at me, as if what’s wrong with me?
Wow! This letter is long overdue!
i have the same issue driving in KJ on seven springs road near Mountain road in the vicinity of the KJ fire station.
Those roads are so curvy and at night the yingeleit with the black chalatlech is impossible to see and especially when there is rain and makes it 99% invisible. Why dont you wear a reflector belt or a flash light.
Its NOT a matter IF its When chas veshulem some one is gonna get killed and i just pray to hashem i shouldnt be the Hoyreg beshogeg.
Thank you to my friend in Clearview who wrote the letter. She is so right. It’s scary. Someone is going to get killed. A pedestrian or a driver going head on into another car.
I suggest heavy enforcement by police and this will end fast. Give a few women tickets and the rest will fall quickly into line.
I heard a few women at the pool today saying that the letter writer is exaggerating. That is how demented these people actually are. I say people should start videoing it and publicize their actions. Let the masses decide.
I drive quite a bit on those roads and would add a comment, these young women even when they walk alone they are mostly on the phone talking which makes things worse than walking 3 people next to each other. Do they realize that they are so into the phone they don’t realize they sometimes get smack in middle of the road and can get killed without even knowing what hit them .if you honk your horn for warning, they get upset and wave as what do you want, this is country time and get your car off the road.
They should stay on the shoulder or on the sidewalk! Wait – there are no sidewalks or shoulders! How dare they walk then! The roads are only for vehicles, maybe even preferably driverless cars, not people.
It’s not the condition of the roads that get people killed, it’s the people using the roads! If no one ever used the roads, no one would ever get killed on the road.
And in the rain, when the ditches at the side of the roads might have water 2 feet deep, don’t even think of shifting over to high ground! Walk the baby carriage UNDER WATER!
Don’t get me wrong – I am not defending unsafe walking practices either. I am just presenting an opposing view to shows that some accommodations need to made for walking people too. Fresh air and exercise are much better for the body and environment than driving everywhere in a car. Walking single file is not as enjoyable, but admittedly much safer. There is a middle ground between single file and four abreast. But from reading the article and the comments, I get the impression that even single file people would be in danger (and not welcome, especially to all of those drag racers.)
I was taught as a kid the rules of walking on a country road is to walk single file on the side facing traffic so you can see cars coming towards you. When I-tell people these rules they look at me like I am nuts. If you walk with your back to oncoming cars especially today with electric cars that you can even hear them coming you are putting your life in danger. These are the same smart people when crossing a busy street with a baby carriage they push the carriage in middle of traffic so they can peek out to see if traffic is coming.
Well said
Title sounds as though writer is planning to kill someone.
I am not familiar with the area; however where I live, there are some streets that do not have sidewalks and I am forced to walk at the edge of the road and with a baby carriage and other children, it can be scary. Municipalities should have sidewalks on all streets.
Also, it says in Me’am Loez that when someone says something is going to happen, r”l, one should say “chas v’shalom” or the like. If one does not, it is almost like the one saying it is causing the thing to happen, chas v’shalom.
The phenomenon of calling out others by identifying them as part of a group is much worse than the entitled attitude.
While some people exercise in an idiotic fashion, many people here publicly demonstrate their lack of mental exercise, as well as disgraceful bigotry equal to or greater than all those around us who hate ALL of us, even those who are considerate.
So all of you, please do some cerebral exercises with a mesillas yeasharim, etc.
Bulldozer:
Which part offends you about Excellent Busses? The illegal U-turns or the fact that drives are chassidish?
Amazing how people with an ax to grind will find any place/way to grind it. Yes, there are crazy people of all nationalities etc… who endanger their lives and they should see a psychiatrist for that problem. There are plenty of crazy drivers as well of all nationalities etc… who should lose their licenses for reckless driving. Pedestrians do need to get places but they should do it safely and cautiously. Same for drivers. Yes I’ve been around, driving in many areas for over 30 years. No, I’m not blind B”H. Let’s not get out of hand here labeling communities and saying people have attitudes or think everything is coming to them or their better then other people… Just cut out the nonsense and be careful how you walk and drive.
It should have been posted by Hatzalah, at the start of the summer.
I agree that it’s dangerous that roads don’t have sidewalks. Maybe someone should make an issue of this politically? Although we’re talking about “summer people,” they do bring a lot of income into the local communities.
Best would be for the NY-NJ area gedolim to make pronouncements about the problem, making it an issue of “V’nishmartem.” The point about men being in particular danger if they walk at night without reflectors should be brought up and made an obligation, not just good advice. People will ignore anything that doesn’t come from a halachic authority, so let the rabbanim get together and prevent the tragedies, before there is any need for Tehillim requests.
the driver is 100% absolutely right
the ony way to enforce this is by having police come by and ticket these woman 1 day that should get the message out as the alternative option you suggest isnt an option
Do you not realize how dumb you sound? On county or country roads where there are no sidewalsk, pedestrians ARE SUPPOSED TO walk opposite traffic. That way, the drivers can see them and they can see the drivers. Pedestrians have the right of way to walk in the street (so long as theyre doing it safely. They shouldnt be on their phones.). They cant walk on the grass, because thats private property- and its also not always existing. Sometimes theres a fence or wall or sormthign the only possible place to walk is in the street. And thats perfectly legal and okay. The drivers need to be more careful.
Today I saw a woman walking ON THE DOUBLE YELLOW LINE in the middle of the street.
I even saw a man walking in the street.
chabadgal – The OP was writing about the ladies who ARE on their phone and the ladies who DO walk not in a single file but in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!!! They do NOT walk opposite traffic either!!!
Is all that legal? Who knows? Is it dumb and dangerous of them to do DEFINITELY YES!!
Should drivers be more careful? Probably also YES.