On two different spots at the center of the city, we observed people crossing the streets way beyond the borders made for the pedestrians. Some people walk fast and looking to the sides, making sure there are no cars coming. Some others, walk slow and relaxed.
In many occasions we noticed that the pedestrian's paths were even next to the people crossing, still they cross out of them.
Although many people in Cologne seems to stick to the rules and take their time to cross over the pedestrian's paths, it seems to be more people than we think who either don't need the security of this paths or just tries to save some time and make their way a little shorter. By the observation, only two persons crossed out of the path looking on the sides, carefully, fast. Besides them, all the others were relaxed, taking their time, talking, as if they would do it all the time. About the interaction with cars, no car or driver seemed to complain about it.
It seems that the pedestrians who make their own path, either walk over the "created paths" from others, like following others behavior, or they do it with the reason of improvising a shorter way.
Are the pedestrian's crossing paths made to help or to limit us?
How do pedestrians really interact with this path lines? Do they use them as point of orientation?
