Final answer:
Approach intersections with caution, adhering to traffic signals to ensure pedestrian safety and yield to pedestrians and bicycles when required. Traffic signals regulate the flow and enhance safety, reducing the need for pedestrians to dodge vehicles.
Step-by-step explanation:
When approaching an intersection with pedestrians, vehicles, and bicycles, the general rule is to ensure the safety of all users and to comply with traffic laws. If there is a traffic signal, it should guide when vehicles and pedestrians can safely proceed. When no signal is present, vehicles must yield to pedestrians and bicycles crossing the roadway within a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.
Pedestrian safety is paramount, so vehicles should slow down and prepare to stop if necessary. Bicycles are typically treated as vehicles, and should obey the same rules while also being given the appropriate right of way when traveling on bike paths or lanes. The goal of traffic signals is to regulate the flow of traffic and ensure that pedestrians can cross without having to "dodge" traffic, significantly increasing safety for all. In scenarios where traffic signals are ignored or absent, there's a higher risk for speeding which can lead to more accidents and jeopardize safety. It is not safe to cross a road without a pedestrian crossing if traffic is present and could not stop in time to avoid a pedestrian.