Pedestrians at Zebra Crossings
Discussion
Do you give them right of way? I always do as I was under the impression it was the law? But today, as a pedestrian I've come across two drivers who made me wonder if I'm wrong?
The crossing in question is the one outside Ford head offices in Warley. As I approached the crossing this morning I looked to the right and saw a silver astra van quite some distance away but travelling at (I would guess) 45mph. I figured there was plenty of time to cross and so I did, only for him to speed up and then beep when he went past. Incidentally it was lucky the man a few steps behind me decided to wait as he would have been flattened, there was no way this guy was stopping! The van then slammed the brakes on after he went past, but when I started walking towards him he sped off (I am in no way intimidating in the slightest, unless you're intimidated by pasty, tall skinny men dressed in suits?!)
Then after work I was crossing the road with a group of people and when we got to the other side, the knob driving the red fiesta that was waiting beeped before making the most of his 60 odd bhp 1.2l beast, and disappearing in a cloud of dust!
So am I doing something wrong? Apart from telling really boring stories? Or did I just happen to come across a pair of Essex's finest citizens today?
The crossing in question is the one outside Ford head offices in Warley. As I approached the crossing this morning I looked to the right and saw a silver astra van quite some distance away but travelling at (I would guess) 45mph. I figured there was plenty of time to cross and so I did, only for him to speed up and then beep when he went past. Incidentally it was lucky the man a few steps behind me decided to wait as he would have been flattened, there was no way this guy was stopping! The van then slammed the brakes on after he went past, but when I started walking towards him he sped off (I am in no way intimidating in the slightest, unless you're intimidated by pasty, tall skinny men dressed in suits?!)
Then after work I was crossing the road with a group of people and when we got to the other side, the knob driving the red fiesta that was waiting beeped before making the most of his 60 odd bhp 1.2l beast, and disappearing in a cloud of dust!
So am I doing something wrong? Apart from telling really boring stories? Or did I just happen to come across a pair of Essex's finest citizens today?
Edited by ali4390 on Wednesday 1st February 10:32
Legally, driver must stop once a pedestrian has claimed precedence, ie by putting foot on crossing.
Amazing how many though just keep driving at you!
Also amazing how many pedestrians just walk straight out onto the crossing without checking that the car has stopped! Perhaps they think as it is a crossing the cars will just bounce off them.
be assured, you were not wrong. :-)
Amazing how many though just keep driving at you!
Also amazing how many pedestrians just walk straight out onto the crossing without checking that the car has stopped! Perhaps they think as it is a crossing the cars will just bounce off them.
be assured, you were not wrong. :-)
Priority is to pedestrians, but in practice pedestrians are squishier than cars and lots of drivers are dangerous idiots so it always pays to be careful. [quote=kaf]Legally, driver must stop once a pedestrian has claimed precedence, ie by putting foot on crossing.
quote]
Yeah, but shirley if a person is walking down the street and then just turns sharply at a crossing expecting traffic to slam on brakes is wrong, the only mind reader I know is my wife.
quote]
Yeah, but shirley if a person is walking down the street and then just turns sharply at a crossing expecting traffic to slam on brakes is wrong, the only mind reader I know is my wife.
Pedestrians always have right of way on the road as far as I know, whether at a crossing or not.
That said, you need some responsibility when crossing the road, i.e. not just walk out in front of traffic.
IMO if you accidently hit someone on a crossing, you should be in a lot more trouble than if they had just walked into the road.
The driver behavior you describe is dangerous and they are knobs.
That said, you need some responsibility when crossing the road, i.e. not just walk out in front of traffic.
IMO if you accidently hit someone on a crossing, you should be in a lot more trouble than if they had just walked into the road.
The driver behavior you describe is dangerous and they are knobs.
badlands1 said:
Yeah, but shirley if a person is walking down the street and then just turns sharply at a crossing expecting traffic to slam on brakes is wrong, the only mind reader I know is my wife.
I think technically not. That if there is a chance of someone entering the crossing, the driver should slow down to make sure they aren't going to. In practice that doesn't happen though, and it would be a bloody stupid thing to rely on as a pedestrian. Not certain though. It's probably ambiguous.
badlands1]af said:
Legally, driver must stop once a pedestrian has claimed precedence, ie by putting foot on crossing.
quote]
Yeah, but shirley if a person is walking down the street and then just turns sharply at a crossing expecting traffic to slam on brakes is wrong, the only mind reader I know is my wife.
If there is someone within the area of a crossing, who could reach the crossing either at the same time as, or before you, then treat it as though they ARE going to use it. SLOW DOWN ! If they don't use it, you just speed up again, you lose a couple of seconds, but prevent a serious collision. quote]
Yeah, but shirley if a person is walking down the street and then just turns sharply at a crossing expecting traffic to slam on brakes is wrong, the only mind reader I know is my wife.
it is called anticipation and planning, if it can go wrong it will go wrong.
I find this is becoming more of a problem. As I use a zebra crossing twice a day to and from work I've been observing that more and more people fail to stop or even pay any attention. The number of people who will glance sideways as they are driving over the crossing narrowly missing you or approach the crossing deliberately staring forward thus ignoring anyone waiting to to cross is definitely on the increase.
Contrary to the OP though in my experience 9 times out of 10 it is drivers over 50 who are the worst offenders.
Contrary to the OP though in my experience 9 times out of 10 it is drivers over 50 who are the worst offenders.
kaf said:
If there is someone within the area of a crossing, who could reach the crossing either at the same time as, or before you, then treat it as though they ARE going to use it. SLOW DOWN ! If they don't use it, you just speed up again, you lose a couple of seconds, but prevent a serious collision.
it is called anticipation and planning, if it can go wrong it will go wrong.
I know. it is called anticipation and planning, if it can go wrong it will go wrong.
When I drive I find that the vast majority of pedestrians make eye contact with the driver and even wave when you have given way to them and I do the same when I used ped-exings.
On Saturday I was out for a run and came across a car parked on the pavement blocking it. I had to take to the hedge to get around the car, as I did I accidentally banged hard on the bonnet. The driver got ever so upset with me and proceeded to chase after me. Now, I'm not even slightly powerfully built nor do I have a goatee beard, so it did amuse me to find someone even smaller (and much older) than me jump out and threaten to punch me. I pointed out to him, that he shouldn't be parked blocking the pavement and suggested that his actions were very selfish causing people to tar all motorists with the same brush. He was very, very cross.
On Saturday I was out for a run and came across a car parked on the pavement blocking it. I had to take to the hedge to get around the car, as I did I accidentally banged hard on the bonnet. The driver got ever so upset with me and proceeded to chase after me. Now, I'm not even slightly powerfully built nor do I have a goatee beard, so it did amuse me to find someone even smaller (and much older) than me jump out and threaten to punch me. I pointed out to him, that he shouldn't be parked blocking the pavement and suggested that his actions were very selfish causing people to tar all motorists with the same brush. He was very, very cross.
Willy Nilly said:
On Saturday I was out for a run and came across a car parked on the pavement blocking it. I had to take to the hedge to get around the car, as I did I accidentally banged hard on the bonnet. The driver got ever so upset with me and proceeded to chase after me. Now, I'm not even slightly powerfully built nor do I have a goatee beard, so it did amuse me to find someone even smaller (and much older) than me jump out and threaten to punch me. I pointed out to him, that he shouldn't be parked blocking the pavement and suggested that his actions were very selfish causing people to tar all motorists with the same brush. He was very, very cross.
195
Zebra crossings. As you approach a zebra crossing
•look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross
•you MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing
•allow more time for stopping on wet or icy roads
•do not wave or use your horn to invite pedestrians across; this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching
•be aware of pedestrians approaching from the side of the crossing
A zebra crossing with a central island is two separate crossings (see Rule 20).
[Law ZPPPCRGD reg 25]
Rules for pedestrians (1-35)
Onus is on the driver to be aware and prpared to stop.
Zebra crossings. As you approach a zebra crossing
•look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross
•you MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing
•allow more time for stopping on wet or icy roads
•do not wave or use your horn to invite pedestrians across; this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching
•be aware of pedestrians approaching from the side of the crossing
A zebra crossing with a central island is two separate crossings (see Rule 20).
[Law ZPPPCRGD reg 25]
Rules for pedestrians (1-35)
Onus is on the driver to be aware and prpared to stop.
Willy Nilly said:
When I drive I find that the vast majority of pedestrians make eye contact with the driver and even wave when you have given way to them and I do the same when I used ped-exings.
On Saturday I was out for a run and came across a car parked on the pavement blocking it. I had to take to the hedge to get around the car, as I did I accidentally banged hard on the bonnet. The driver got ever so upset with me and proceeded to chase after me. Now, I'm not even slightly powerfully built nor do I have a goatee beard, so it did amuse me to find someone even smaller (and much older) than me jump out and threaten to punch me. I pointed out to him, that he shouldn't be parked blocking the pavement and suggested that his actions were very selfish causing people to tar all motorists with the same brush. He was very, very cross.
You touched someone else's car (no matter how much of a tOn Saturday I was out for a run and came across a car parked on the pavement blocking it. I had to take to the hedge to get around the car, as I did I accidentally banged hard on the bonnet. The driver got ever so upset with me and proceeded to chase after me. Now, I'm not even slightly powerfully built nor do I have a goatee beard, so it did amuse me to find someone even smaller (and much older) than me jump out and threaten to punch me. I pointed out to him, that he shouldn't be parked blocking the pavement and suggested that his actions were very selfish causing people to tar all motorists with the same brush. He was very, very cross.
t that person was)?!Are you aware of how the red bull joke started?
Prepare for very long rants from Indignant, Middle-Englandshire telling you that "You are everything that is wrong with this country" blah blah blah.
So looks like I wasn't wrong then, therefore meaning I can hunt the drivers down and spunk in their eyes!!
Just to clarify, I don't take the piss when crossing. I always make sure I only cross if I think its safe regardless of whether I have right of way and I don't dawdle across as it irritates me when a pedestrian does that to me!
Just to clarify, I don't take the piss when crossing. I always make sure I only cross if I think its safe regardless of whether I have right of way and I don't dawdle across as it irritates me when a pedestrian does that to me!
m8rky said:
195
Zebra crossings. As you approach a zebra crossing
•look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross
•you MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing
•allow more time for stopping on wet or icy roads
•do not wave or use your horn to invite pedestrians across; this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching
•be aware of pedestrians approaching from the side of the crossing
A zebra crossing with a central island is two separate crossings (see Rule 20).
[Law ZPPPCRGD reg 25]
Rules for pedestrians (1-35)
Onus is on the driver to be aware and prpared to stop.
Can someone clarify what the bold bit (My bold) means?Zebra crossings. As you approach a zebra crossing
•look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross
•you MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing
•allow more time for stopping on wet or icy roads
•do not wave or use your horn to invite pedestrians across; this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching
•be aware of pedestrians approaching from the side of the crossing
A zebra crossing with a central island is two separate crossings (see Rule 20).
[Law ZPPPCRGD reg 25]
Rules for pedestrians (1-35)
Onus is on the driver to be aware and prpared to stop.
Does this suggest a pedestrian is supposed to wait at the side of the crossing for the driver to stop, then enter the crossing to gain priority?
You must stop for a pedestrian that is on the crossing - what does this mean? where is the crossing? - ie. is the crossing in the road or does the pavement that you wait by also count as the crossing, in which case how large is the area of pavement that is a crossing? I think the above is ambiguous as written even if we all do know how to use them.
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