Where have all the zebra crossings gone?
Discussion
I was a little early for a shop to open, so sat in the car observing life going by. I was parked on a reasonably busy road with vehicles going around the speed limit or slower 
I observed several pedestrians trying to cross the road with varying degrees or success. Youngsters quickly nipped over with the smallest of gaps while an old fella took ages waiting for a large gap so he could stroll across. I then thought, if this many pedestrians are crossing the road, surely it would make sense to put a zebra crossing there.
I noticed that this road has several speed cameras, but very few safe places to cross. It seems to me that the authorities are forgetting that it doesn't matter how slow you make vehicles travel, if you don't supply a safe place to cross, then a pedestrian/vehicle collision is going to be nasty, regardless of the speed.
On my way to work, I don't pass a single zebra crossing and only five pedestrian crossings on my 15 mile route. Three of the pedestrian crossings are within 500yds of each other in a town shopping street. I pass three speed cameras.
Where have our crossings gone?
I observed several pedestrians trying to cross the road with varying degrees or success. Youngsters quickly nipped over with the smallest of gaps while an old fella took ages waiting for a large gap so he could stroll across. I then thought, if this many pedestrians are crossing the road, surely it would make sense to put a zebra crossing there.
I noticed that this road has several speed cameras, but very few safe places to cross. It seems to me that the authorities are forgetting that it doesn't matter how slow you make vehicles travel, if you don't supply a safe place to cross, then a pedestrian/vehicle collision is going to be nasty, regardless of the speed.
On my way to work, I don't pass a single zebra crossing and only five pedestrian crossings on my 15 mile route. Three of the pedestrian crossings are within 500yds of each other in a town shopping street. I pass three speed cameras.
Where have our crossings gone?
They're breeding like flies in Iver - two new ones in the last year, and plans seem to be afoot for a third. Which would be okay, except large numbers of numpties in their cars just ignore them, so you use them at your peril. Lost count of the number of times I've almost been run over while halfway across a crossing. 
>> Edited by SGirl on Saturday 9th October 23:30
>> Edited by SGirl on Saturday 9th October 23:30
SGirl said:
Lost count of the number of times I've almost been run over while halfway across a crossing.
>> Edited by SGirl on Saturday 9th October 23:30
Tescos in Newton Abbot - they have a lit crossing that goes from one car park to the store entrance. I was actually clipped by an old dude that thought he would just drive on.
Cheers you old
Could make a fortune if you were inclined to seek compensation....
SGirl said:
- except large numbers of numpties in their cars just ignore them, so you use them at your peril. Lost count of the number of times I've almost been run over while halfway across a crossing.
thats not suprising,i remember when i was an apprentice mechanic at timms garage (the one that povey owned thats now a large shell garage,next to the crooked billet) i was cycling home when a 'driver' (i use the word as loosly as possible) overtook me and then suddenly decided to slam her brakes on and turn right but instead of setting herself up slightly to the right of the lane,she pulled right into the left literally with her n/s wheel against the kirb.....i had no-way of stopping in time and i slammed into her,smashing my face into her rear window (cue instant black eye!)writing off my bike in the process (a week old raleigh supersport ultralight racer).....needless to say that by the time she had got out of the car i was in full-verse of "you stupid
,what sort of driving do you call that,you !!" at which point a lady who was in the car following behind asked if we wanted the police called,i did as i was injured and i had no transport back to uxbridge....then,just as the cops arrive the inbred bint starts to blame me for her shit driving,to which i responded in the only way i knew,i verbally tore her a new arsehole infront of the 2 cops....and when she said "who's paying for the damage to my car?" my reply to her would probably break the swearword editor on here!. she didnt recieve a penny out of me for the damage to her crappy little 205 and raleigh took the bike back and gave me a full refund when it was found that the rear brake assembly had failed at the adjuster nut,causing the cable to not work in the manner it was intended....i wouldnt mind another one though tbh,it was a quick bike.
that was just one incident,ive seen loads more around iver though,especially in the richings park area for some reason.
>> Edited by cortinaman on Sunday 10th October 06:04
Good ridance to them. I find them dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians. I often wondered what would happen if some one just ran out across one. I'm sure a pretty dim view would be taken of the driver. Again try crossing one of foot. I have lost count of the amount of times I've stopped, person crossing and car going other way just flys thru.
SGirl said:
Lost count of the number of times I've almost been run over while halfway across a crossing.
Must be specific to Iver. That hasn't happened to me for decades; a TransAm drove round me on a crossing in Hampstead High Street, I kicked it as it went past, the driver stopped and started to get out, saw there were 4 of us, none under 6ft, got back in and drove off. And a cyclist went flying through the pedestrians on a crossing in High Holborn, so I punched him as he went through. Can't have been hard enough, because he didn't fall off.
Hasn't happened again in the last 20 years...
There was a bloke round here that used to just stroll across zebra crossings without warning and without looking, he didn't care, treated them like an extension of the pavement rather than a crossing point. There were always skidmarks at the crossing, got me a few times, just walked across oblivious swinging a dog lead. Never has a dog though. 
Last I heard he got smeared 200yards along the road when he stepped infront of a 44tonner. Driver had a dozen or so witnesses that all said the same thing, he didn't look, he didn't stop, he didn't give any indication that he was about to cross, just stepped onto the crossing and splat.
Last I heard he got smeared 200yards along the road when he stepped infront of a 44tonner. Driver had a dozen or so witnesses that all said the same thing, he didn't look, he didn't stop, he didn't give any indication that he was about to cross, just stepped onto the crossing and splat.
There's a zebra crossing outside Bedford station which I reckon is a bit dodgy - in one direction, your view of pedestrians approaching it from the station is obscured by a wall and a couple of phone boxes, so you don't see them until they are about to step onto it. Fortunately (?) the road tends to lock up in rush hour anyway, so nobody's going very fast when the crossing is most heavily used.
An interesting thing about zebra crossings is that it often seems possible to tell if a particular pedestrian is going to cross, even before they turn towards the crossing or make any other overt move. Wonder why this is?
An interesting thing about zebra crossings is that it often seems possible to tell if a particular pedestrian is going to cross, even before they turn towards the crossing or make any other overt move. Wonder why this is?
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