Though I heard about this on LBC this morning too so I suspect it isn't.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...strian-crossin
g-devout-Jews-cross-road.html

http://percyweller.wordpress.com/201...every-90-secs/

I would suggest that if these religious nutters really are so hamstrung by
their interpretation of their religion they just stay inside instead of
everyone else being inconvenienced - including probably the large number of
ordinary jews that live in that area.

B2003

In message , d
writes
Though I heard about this on LBC this morning too so I suspect it isn't.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ree-pedestrian
-crossin
g-devout-Jews-cross-road.html

http://percyweller.wordpress.com/201...every-90-secs/

I would suggest that if these religious nutters really are so hamstrung by
their interpretation of their religion they just stay inside instead of
everyone else being inconvenienced - including probably the large number of
ordinary jews that live in that area.

This was discussed on London local radio station LBC's phone-in at
around 9am. The traffic will be stopped every 90 seconds, regardless
whether anyone wants to cross or not.

The first caller was a rabbi from (I think) Finchley. He thought the
whole idea was nuts. He himself observed the Shabat tradition of not
using things mechanical and electrical - and this indeed did cause him
problems when using pedestrian controlled crossings. His solution was to
wait until someone else pressed the button or, if there was a gap in the
traffic, crossed anyway. His compromise solution was that the gaps
between the crossing times could be made much longer - up to four or
five minute.
--
Ian

wrote in message
...
Though I heard about this on LBC this morning too so I suspect it isn't.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...strian-crossin
g-devout-Jews-cross-road.html

http://percyweller.wordpress.com/201...every-90-secs/

I would suggest that if these religious nutters really are so hamstrung by
their interpretation of their religion they just stay inside instead of
everyone else being inconvenienced - including probably the large number
of
ordinary jews that live in that area.

B2003

This is silly - removing the button doesn't help them to avoid breaking
their law: The religious law prohibits them from using electricity or
operating machinery on the Sabbath. What exactly do they think the green man
is powered by?!!

wrote in message
...
Though I heard about this on LBC this morning too so I suspect it isn't.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...strian-crossin
g-devout-Jews-cross-road.html

http://percyweller.wordpress.com/201...every-90-secs/

I would suggest that if these religious nutters really are so hamstrung by
their interpretation of their religion they just stay inside instead of
everyone else being inconvenienced - including probably the large number
of
ordinary jews that live in that area.

This idea stinks. No-one should foist their religion on other non-believers
by expecting special treatment from the law. If they *choose* not to press
buttons to permit them to cross the road, then it's very simple: they
*choose* not to be able to cross the road safely.

Anyone who puts religion *before* day-to-day living, and chooses to let it
rule their lives is a nutter. For me, religion is a servant, not a master.

On Mon, 3 Oct 2011 11:02:31 +0100
"GT" wrote:
This is silly - removing the button doesn't help them to avoid breaking
their law: The religious law prohibits them from using electricity or
operating machinery on the Sabbath. What exactly do they think the green man
is powered by?!!

Good point, I hadn't thought of that!

B2003

On Mon, 3 Oct 2011 11:15:25 +0100
"Mortimer" wrote:
This idea stinks. No-one should foist their religion on other non-believers
by expecting special treatment from the law. If they *choose* not to press
buttons to permit them to cross the road, then it's very simple: they
*choose* not to be able to cross the road safely.

Anyone who puts religion *before* day-to-day living, and chooses to let it
rule their lives is a nutter. For me, religion is a servant, not a master.

Yup. The way a lot of religious people talk you'd think they were being forced
to observe whatever silly rules or laws they adhere to rather than it being
a matter of choice on their part. And as you say , if they choose to stick
to these rules for whatever reason there's no reason other people should be
inconvenienced because of it. But then try telling that to whatever tree
hugging right-on liberal dreamed up this idiocy.

B2003

In message om, at
11:02:31 on Mon, 3 Oct 2011, GT remarked:
This is silly - removing the button doesn't help them to avoid breaking
their law: The religious law prohibits them from using electricity or
operating machinery on the Sabbath. What exactly do they think the green man
is powered by?!!

It depends how strict they are about "using" (or whatever the exact
wording is) - I know of some who won't drive a car, but are happy to be
given a lift by someone else, for example.
--
Roland Perry

On Oct 3, 11:02*am, "GT" wrote:


This is silly - removing the button doesn't help them to avoid breaking
their law: The religious law prohibits them from using electricity or
operating machinery on the Sabbath. What exactly do they think the green man
is powered by?!!

Sweetcorn? I hope none of them are fitted with heart
pacemakers. :-)

On Oct 3, 11:15*am, "Mortimer" wrote:


Anyone who puts religion *before* day-to-day living, and chooses to let it
rule their lives is a nutter. For me, religion is a servant, not a master..

For me religion is a delusion.

wrote in message

On Mon, 3 Oct 2011 11:02:31 +0100
"GT" wrote:
This is silly - removing the button doesn't help them to avoid
breaking their law: The religious law prohibits them from using
electricity or operating machinery on the Sabbath. What exactly do
they think the green man is powered by?!!

Good point, I hadn't thought of that!

I think they're not supposed to *cause* work to be done, but can take
advantage of things that are happening anyway.

For example, I was once in a hotel in Jerusalem and on a Friday night,
headed for the lift to go down to the lobby. I noticed a crowd of people
waiting by another lift, but once I hit the button, they were happy to
join me in 'my' lift. Apparently, one lift runs an all-floors stopping
service on the Shabbat, but the others work normally. If a non-Jew like
me pressed the button for one of those lifts, they had no trouble taking
advantage of it. Apparently it's OK for non-Jews to cause work to be
done that benefits Jews, but not for those same Jews to cause it.

Similarly, there was a card in the room which let you tell them if you
wanted the room light left on -- it was apparently OK for the orthodox
guests to take advantage of electric light, but not to switch it on
during the Shabbat itself. There are several other strange examples like
that in Jerusalem.

It's worth pointing out that even in Israel, only a minority of Jewish
citizens take their religion to these extreme lengths. But the
extremists are very intolerant. They block the streets in their areas to
stop anyone else driving through on the Shabbat, and I was told they are
liable to chuck stones at cars that attempt to get in. They take a
particularly dim view of other Jews breaking this rule -- they don't
care what gentiles do.