Roadies ignoring zebra crossings

[oyster]

Tuesday night commuting home along Chelsea Embankment, there's a zebra crossing with a woman waiting to cross. I stopped to let her cross. A van next to me stopped to let her cross. But she couldn't cross because several bikes continued on across the crossing without stopping. I noticed they were all road bikes that failed to stop (and as it happens 2 mountain bikes pulled up to a halt behind me also to wait for the pedestrian).

And guess what, come last night's commute home, the same crossing and again a bunch of bikes went straight across, this time whilst a woman with a pushchair was attempting to cross. Again the offenders were road bikes and the one bike that did stop ahead of me wasn't a road bike.

C'mon roadies - the Highway Code still applies to you and so does common decency.

[y2blade]

[okgo]

Yes, 5 people riding road bikes means we all don't stop at Zebras.

Have a word with yourself mate.

[paranoid airbag]

I think you're probably not spouting that much garbage - the higher initial speeds of a roadie, followed by the worse brakes, are bound to make braking distances longer. I've never yet failed to stop for a pedestrian at a crossing, but a couple of times it's surprised me that I managed to. I definitely had a more aggressive riding style around town on my MTB - knowing I could get out of trouble at the drop of a hat by comparison. A road bike round town requires a lot more consideration and forward planning - which is satisfying in its own right.

FTR none of the above at all condones jumping a crossing where ped's have priority - they're tts (the ones who blasted the crossing that is, not all roadies).

[MadDad]

Out for a road ride with a mate late night, cycled through the middle of Windsor and got caught at a red, my mate and I stopped - bloke on an MTB sailed though.

Can I make a reasonable point? It's not the bike, it's the rider!

I ride both MTB and road, I don't consider myself more aligned with one or the other, and apply the same rules of the road to both. If I were to break a highway code rule I would be more likely to do it on a road bike, simply because you are more likely to catch me on a road bike on the road! Likewise, if I inadvertently upset a rambler or find myself on a footpath instead of a byway, there is a good chance I will be on one of my MTB’s.......

The chances are a lot of the guy's who jump the lights, don't stop at zebra's etc probably don't consider themselves roadies or MTB-ers, they are simply people who commute on a bike and want to get to the office, or home, as fast as they can - if that means breaking a few rules, so be it – why would they give a damn about the perception of cyclists when they don’t consider themselves to be one??

[Kermit power]

oyster said:

Tuesday night commuting home along Chelsea Embankment, there's a zebra crossing with a woman waiting to cross. I stopped to let her cross. A van next to me stopped to let her cross. But she couldn't cross because several bikes continued on across the crossing without stopping. I noticed they were all road bikes that failed to stop (and as it happens 2 mountain bikes pulled up to a halt behind me also to wait for the pedestrian).

And guess what, come last night's commute home, the same crossing and again a bunch of bikes went straight across, this time whilst a woman with a pushchair was attempting to cross. Again the offenders were road bikes and the one bike that did stop ahead of me wasn't a road bike.

C'mon roadies - the Highway Code still applies to you and so does common decency.

Just out of interest, did you actually read the Highway Code before you posted?

I ask only because there is actually no obligation on road bikes or any other vehicle for that matter to stop until a pedestrian has actually stepped on to the crossing.

Personally, I think that's pretty daft - I wouldn't want to test it by stepping out in front of a speeding bus - but strictly within the confines of the Highway Code, it doesn't apply unless the women had already started to cross. Waiting to do so does not imply a need for vehicles to cross.

For the record, I ride a road bike, and would stop for Zebra crossings if there were any on my commute.

[shouldbworking]

crossing the road on a ncn route today (on my bike) and a car skidded to a halt just managing to stop before intruding on the crossing, never mind the red light, never mind the cyclist on the crossing.

This clearly means all car drivers ignore crossings and red lights.

[oyster]

Kermit power said:

oyster said:

Tuesday night commuting home along Chelsea Embankment, there's a zebra crossing with a woman waiting to cross. I stopped to let her cross. A van next to me stopped to let her cross. But she couldn't cross because several bikes continued on across the crossing without stopping. I noticed they were all road bikes that failed to stop (and as it happens 2 mountain bikes pulled up to a halt behind me also to wait for the pedestrian).

And guess what, come last night's commute home, the same crossing and again a bunch of bikes went straight across, this time whilst a woman with a pushchair was attempting to cross. Again the offenders were road bikes and the one bike that did stop ahead of me wasn't a road bike.

C'mon roadies - the Highway Code still applies to you and so does common decency.

Just out of interest, did you actually read the Highway Code before you posted?

I ask only because there is actually no obligation on road bikes or any other vehicle for that matter to stop until a pedestrian has actually stepped on to the crossing.

Personally, I think that's pretty daft - I wouldn't want to test it by stepping out in front of a speeding bus - but strictly within the confines of the Highway Code, it doesn't apply unless the women had already started to cross. Waiting to do so does not imply a need for vehicles to cross.

For the record, I ride a road bike, and would stop for Zebra crossings if there were any on my commute.

I didn't know that, I stand corrected!
It's still rather rude not to stop though, don't you agree.

I ride a road bike at weekends so it's not like I'm anti-roadie. I am just becoming increasingly infuriated that there seem to be so many road bikers in London who seem to be on a permanent time trial whereby stopping at lights or crossings or unclipping or being courteous is something they are loathe to do.

Edited by oyster on Saturday 25th February 15:19

[rhinochopig]

okgo said:

Yes, 5 people riding road bikes means we all don't stop at Zebras.

Have a word with yourself mate.

To be fair their shaven legs do get cold quickly if they stop, what with all that very thick blood flowing through their veins

[Kermit power]

contango said:

Sometimes I get confused as to what to do at a Zebra crossing if I am riding my MTB or road bike!

It's not that tricky!

On a road bike, you just keep going. On an MTB, you just keep on going on the pavement where you were, as the zebra lines don't go that far.

[MadDad]

Kermit power said:

contango said:

Sometimes I get confused as to what to do at a Zebra crossing if I am riding my MTB or road bike!

It's not that tricky!

On a road bike, you just keep going. On an MTB, you just keep on going on the pavement where you were, as the zebra lines don't go that far.

Now I am confused, what do you do on a crosser, or worse still a BMX????? What about the poor buggers on the hybrid things, my god - what about those on the clown bikes - erm, what are they called - Bromptons - man, this is getting complicated. . . . . . . . I think I might just take the car. . . . . .

[AyBee]

okgo said:

Yes, 5 people riding road bikes means we all don't stop at Zebras.

Have a word with yourself mate.

This. The fact that 90%+ of cyclists in London are roadies means that generalisations like this mean nothing!

[andyroo]

oyster said:

I didn't know that, I stand corrected!
It's still rather rude not to stop though, don't you agree.

I ride a road bike at weekends so it's not like I'm anti-roadie. I am just becoming increasingly infuriated that there seem to be so many road bikers in London who seem to be on a permanent time trial whereby stopping at lights or crossings or unclipping or being courteous is something they are loathe to do.

Edited by oyster on Saturday 25th February 15:19

In Switzerland they have zebra crossings at pretty much every point where a pedestrian might want to cross, and you just walk out and the cars stop. Of course, the car drivers and pedestrians properly understand the rule so the drivers drive prepared to stop - that and the police actually enforce the law there.

[Kermit power]

MadDad said:

Now I am confused, what do you do on a crosser, or worse still a BMX????? What about the poor buggers on the hybrid things, my god - what about those on the clown bikes - erm, what are they called - Bromptons - man, this is getting complicated. . . . . . . . I think I might just take the car. . . . . .

Now you are just looking for complications where there are none!

Is there a zebra crossing within 6 inches of your front door? If not, then the BMX is irrelevant.

For a hybrid, you will of course ride through with your front wheel without stopping, and your rear wheel on the pavement.

If you are on a Brompton, people will be too busy either laughing at you or pitying you to worry about what you're actually doing on it, so feel free to ride through as you see fit. Just watch you don't get your comedy floppy feet caught in the spokes.