In Seattle all unmarked intersections are considered pedestrian right-of-ways, by law. There have been campaigns to promote this. Ten to twenty years ago it was not uncommon for pedestrians to throw tantrums and shame drivers for not stopping them, usually in Fremont and Capitol Hill. That may explain some of the behavior; possibly the drivers you encountered were native Seattlites with intersection PTSD.

But I generally agree with you. it’s a often egregious and can be extremely dangerous for both the pedestrian and other vehicles when a lone driver stops unexpectedly on a >2 lane road.