Don't be a squirrel!

It appears that walking in front of bicycles or cars here in Den Haag is perfectly acceptable. With 1 caveat... don't be a squirrel!

By that I mean, if you're going to step out in front of a car or cyclist*** you have to commit to completing the crossing. Don't take a step or 2 into the street and then decide you're going to go back to where you started.

I didn't understand the outrage about this until I was biking one day and a pedestrian did that to me. I had paced myself to get through the crosswalk AFTER the person had completed their crossing. Having them unable to figure out if they wanted to commit or not just completely threw off my timing.

*** Be sure you're doing this in a crosswalk, and be sure there is enough time for you to get at least 1/2 way through the crosswalk before the car, or cyclist, reaches you. They do still need enough time to slow down and can't do that if you literally step right in front of them.