Is this a sign of the times - pedestrian crossings
Discussion
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/72...
A new crossing has been installed in a local town of mine and idiots behind the wheel are already nearly mowing people down.
This is something I am beginning to notice at more and more crossings lately; people just not bothering to stop when you are crossing or about to cross.
Really winds me up and is quite a bugbear of mine.
Why aren't certain individuals stopping nowadays? Are they too lazy to hit the brakes, does it wind some people up thinking that they should stop for a pedestrian? Who knows eh.
A new crossing has been installed in a local town of mine and idiots behind the wheel are already nearly mowing people down.
This is something I am beginning to notice at more and more crossings lately; people just not bothering to stop when you are crossing or about to cross.
Really winds me up and is quite a bugbear of mine.
Why aren't certain individuals stopping nowadays? Are they too lazy to hit the brakes, does it wind some people up thinking that they should stop for a pedestrian? Who knows eh.
Martin_Hx said:
What people dont realise is you dont just step onto them, you have to wait for the traffic to stop.
Theres one near my house and if its dark and a person just walks onto it wearing dark clothes its very difficult to see them as the lighting around it is shocking !
Yep I notice this, I overheard someone harping on about the law once stating that if you put one foot on the crossing cars are supposed to stop? Don't know how true this is.Theres one near my house and if its dark and a person just walks onto it wearing dark clothes its very difficult to see them as the lighting around it is shocking !
Also, some people just seem to banzai across them! Mad!
Don't know the location, but going on the amount of near misses you have to question the road design as well. On my way to work each day I go through one that is diabolical, being placed within 4 foot (literally) of a multi-crossroads that has switchback roads that disappear behind buildings. Near misses happen there every single day, you simply can't be looking in 4 directions at once, and students just kamikaze across it - if anyone gets hit its the road planners responsibility. IMO
have almost taken out a cyclist who was riding along the pavement parallel with the road and then decided to flick the bike right over the crossing without making sure I had seen them or stopped to dismount.
think in that case, he swerved to avoid being run over, hit a pothole and flew over the handlebars... this was some bloke, kids are worse
when crossing them myself I make sure I get the eye contact with the driver and visibly thank them
think in that case, he swerved to avoid being run over, hit a pothole and flew over the handlebars... this was some bloke, kids are worse
when crossing them myself I make sure I get the eye contact with the driver and visibly thank them
funkyrobot said:
Martin_Hx said:
What people dont realise is you dont just step onto them, you have to wait for the traffic to stop.
Theres one near my house and if its dark and a person just walks onto it wearing dark clothes its very difficult to see them as the lighting around it is shocking !
Yep I notice this, I overheard someone harping on about the law once stating that if you put one foot on the crossing cars are supposed to stop? Don't know how true this is.Theres one near my house and if its dark and a person just walks onto it wearing dark clothes its very difficult to see them as the lighting around it is shocking !
Also, some people just seem to banzai across them! Mad!
The above also acknowledges that cars stil take 315ft to stop from 70mph having not improved at all in the last 35 years.
Edited by Six Fiend on Monday 4th February 22:22
funkyrobot said:
Martin_Hx said:
What people dont realise is you dont just step onto them, you have to wait for the traffic to stop.
Theres one near my house and if its dark and a person just walks onto it wearing dark clothes its very difficult to see them as the lighting around it is shocking !
Yep I notice this, I overheard someone harping on about the law once stating that if you put one foot on the crossing cars are supposed to stop? Don't know how true this is.Theres one near my house and if its dark and a person just walks onto it wearing dark clothes its very difficult to see them as the lighting around it is shocking !
Also, some people just seem to banzai across them! Mad!
funkyrobot said:
Martin_Hx said:
What people dont realise is you dont just step onto them, you have to wait for the traffic to stop.
Theres one near my house and if its dark and a person just walks onto it wearing dark clothes its very difficult to see them as the lighting around it is shocking !
Yep I notice this, I overheard someone harping on about the law once stating that if you put one foot on the crossing cars are supposed to stop? Don't know how true this is.Theres one near my house and if its dark and a person just walks onto it wearing dark clothes its very difficult to see them as the lighting around it is shocking !
Also, some people just seem to banzai across them! Mad!
The law states a driver must stop for persons on the crossing. This would indicate that if they have one foot on the crossing you have to stop.
Yes your right, there are some very stupid people out there that step out without looking and ensuring it is safe to cross. These people will eventually be naturally selected.
For pedestrians,
Streaky
Highway Code 19 said:
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. Wait until traffic has stopped from both directions or the road is clear before crossing. Remember that traffic does not have to stop until someone has moved onto the crossing.
Highway Code 20 said:
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.
For drivers,Highway Code 195 said:
Zebra crossings. As you approach a zebra crossing
Interestingly, many motorists seem to forget the rules when they are pedestrians!- 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
Streaky
SlowMo said:
Cars that don't stop get my keys thrown at the side of the car, makes a lovely mess 
Whatever I think of people who don't stop - you sir are a prick...and have made my list. When approaching a zebra crossing drivers need to slow down and anticipate having to stop...it's not difficult.
time2react said:
When approaching a Zebra crossing ( Highlighted by the belisha beacons ) slow down and expect someone to be crossing.
The law states a driver must stop for persons on the crossing. This would indicate that if they have one foot on the crossing you have to stop.
The only case where that doesn't apply is when a pedestrian is pushing a pram / pushchair - drivers have to stop if the front wheel(s) of the buggy is on the crossing.The law states a driver must stop for persons on the crossing. This would indicate that if they have one foot on the crossing you have to stop.
time2react said:
Yes your right, there are some very stupid people out there that step out without looking and ensuring it is safe to cross. These people will eventually be naturally selected.
Saw an old biddy one time walk up to a Pelican crossing, push the button and step straight out without even glancing at the road or waiting for the lights to change.Inevitably a car was passing right at that moment and creamed her.
Of course, by the time the driver had got out and a crowd had gathered, the lights had changed and it looked really bad for the driver. Luckily there were plenty of witnesses around to back her up.
pdV6 said:
Of course, by the time the driver had got out and a crowd had gathered, the lights had changed and it looked really bad for the driver. Luckily there were plenty of witnesses around to back her up.
And with a fair chunk of luck too I hope....There are some fascinating case studies of how people in such emotive circumstances can make astonishingly unreliable witnesses. There was one case of where a guy had parked in front of a butcher's, and a kid had ridden down the road on his pushbike and splattered himself onto the car. Busy day, large crowd and bloke emerges from shop to find all this going on around his car. By the time the BiB turned up there were several witnesses claiming quite honestly that they'd seen the whole thing and the driver had run him down. Astonishing. And in this case, possibly aprocryphal, as I can't find my original source.
I'm sure the BiB can give us more stories of this sort of thing?
SlowMo said:
makes a lovely mess
So does a 4D maglite to the top of the head......Crossing are there for a reason and it's up to all road users to use them as they have been designed and legislated for. As a pedestrian I'm going to assume that the car isn't going to stop, make eye contact and thank the driver for stopping. As a driver I'm going to assume that all pedestrians are going to step out so I'm going to slow down and prepare to stop. It's not too difficult! Having said that the crossings have to be placed appropriately to make it possible to use them as safely as possible. In my experience a lot of crossings are positioned with convenience in mind rather than safety.
MilnerR said:
SlowMo said:
makes a lovely mess
So does a 4D maglite to the top of the head......Crossing are there for a reason and it's up to all road users to use them as they have been designed and legislated for. As a pedestrian I'm going to assume that the car isn't going to stop, make eye contact and thank the driver for stopping. As a driver I'm going to assume that all pedestrians are going to step out so I'm going to slow down and prepare to stop. It's not too difficult! Having said that the crossings have to be placed appropriately to make it possible to use them as safely as possible. In my experience a lot of crossings are positioned with convenience in mind rather than safety.
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff