Your example is absurd. Where do you live that you ever have to cross an 8 lane highway on foot? City streets have crosswalks and stop lights. When used properly it's perfectly safe for everyone.
And I didn't say highway. But that's a very good point. Stroads are difficult to cross, but highways carve a city up and are mostly impossible to cross except for a few places per mile.
8 lanes may be a bit rare, but it's easy to find 7. 2 travel lanes in each direction, a turn median, and a parking lane on each side. I was just in SoCal and saw plenty of examples with three travel lanes in each direction, making 9+ lanes in many places!