Zebra crossings?
Discussion
Am I right in saying you have to stop at a zebra crossing if there's a pedestrian waiting to cross?
The other night I was driving along and came up to a pedesrtian crossing outside a college. There was a lad walking up to the crossing so I slowed down fully expecting him to start crossing and me stopping. To my surprise he waited at the side of the crossing and looked both ways along the road! I slowed down and stopped anyway, assuming he would see me stopped and would cross, but he didn't. I was confused and thought 'what an idiot, doesn't he know how to use a crossing?'. That was until a car coming the other way went straight over the crossing. Then the next one did the same, and the next, and the next. 4 cars went past as this lad was trying to cross and I was waiting patiently!
Don't people know drivers have to stop once a pedestrian starts crossing a zebra crossing?
Yes it did have the flashing lights too.
The other night I was driving along and came up to a pedesrtian crossing outside a college. There was a lad walking up to the crossing so I slowed down fully expecting him to start crossing and me stopping. To my surprise he waited at the side of the crossing and looked both ways along the road! I slowed down and stopped anyway, assuming he would see me stopped and would cross, but he didn't. I was confused and thought 'what an idiot, doesn't he know how to use a crossing?'. That was until a car coming the other way went straight over the crossing. Then the next one did the same, and the next, and the next. 4 cars went past as this lad was trying to cross and I was waiting patiently!
Don't people know drivers have to stop once a pedestrian starts crossing a zebra crossing?
Yes it did have the flashing lights too.
www.highwaycode.gov.uk/18.shtml
So i really don't have to stop if someone is quite obviously waiting to cross? (if their foot is not on the road). That's my new fact for the day
So i really don't have to stop if someone is quite obviously waiting to cross? (if their foot is not on the road). That's my new fact for the day
puggit said:
Another Zebra Crossing fact for you - if the crossing has a central island then you don't have to stop if the pedestrian is on the other side of the island to your carriageway
A fact that the vast majority of pedestrians (IMHE) do not appreciate. And neither do most drivers. The crossing is actually two crossings. In fact, the pedestrian has to "move onto the crossing" on your side to gain any right of way over you.
HC19 - Zebra crossings. Give traffic plenty of time to see you and to stop before you start to cross. Vehicles will need more time when the road is slippery. Remember that traffic does not have to stop until someone has moved onto the crossing. Wait until traffic has stopped from both directions or the road is clear before crossing. Keep looking both ways, and listening, in case a driver or rider has not seen you and attempts to overtake a vehicle that has stopped.
HC20 - Where there is an island in the middle of a zebra crossing, wait on the island and follow Rule 19 before you cross the second half of the road - it is a separate crossing.
Interestingly:
HC26 - 'Staggered' pelican or puffin crossings. When the crossings on each side of the central refuge are not in line they are two separate crossings. On reaching the central island press the button again and wait for a steady green figure.
Does this mean that if the crossing isn't 'staggered' it's a single crossing even if there is a central refuge? Of course, there might be no instances of such.
And a question. Does a cyclist riding a bike along the road count as a 'pedestrian'? I'm sure most of us have seen one ride across a crossing. If not a pedestrian ... can we knock them over?
Streaky
Edited because I pressed various keys in the wrong order.
>> Edited by streaky on Wednesday 23 March 06:09
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