To ask drivers to please indicate BEFORE turning

[LittleTurtle]

not AS they turn because they are about to knock you over as you are in the middle of crossing the road.

They know in advance they will turn left at the light, why leave it till the last minute. This morning driver almost knocked over this woman with her child on the school run and had the nerve to swear at them, when I clearly saw the mom look out for cars turning in and the driver did not indicate as he approached.

I see a lot of this in London. Some don't bother to indicate at all. I guess now I have kids I notice it even more.

[Pootles2010]

That is a stupid place to put a crossing, but the pedestrian doesn't have to give the driver enough time! The driver has to see a crossing, look to see if anyone's there, if they can't tell, slow and be ready to stop.

[Wallison]

But then if you have people trying to cross the road near roundabouts (it happens a lot in those pissing awful out-of-town shopping places that aren't built with pedestrians in mind at all) they would have no way of getting from one section of path to another without a zebra.

[hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman]

I did some minibus training for school a few years ago and part of the training involved doing a supervised drive with an instructor, he told me (and some of the other drivers) off for indicating when there were no other vehicles on the road.

[NothingIsAsBadAsItSeems]

But having zebras right next to roundabout exits causes massive ques and near misses. Such as when cars pulling onto the roundabout fail to look to the left since the right is clear and almost take your rear bumper off since you have to wait for the pedestrian to cross before clearing the roundabout

[Wallison]

People have to cross the road somehow though. The world does not belong to car drivers.

[Pootles2010]

So what do you propose we do about pedestrians wanting to cross Nothing? Should they all jsut feck off and stop holding you up?

If people going onto roundabouts fail to look left, that is them being a crap driver.

[Sparklingbrook]

That has come up a few times on here hell. No indicating necessary if there's nobody around.

[WMittens]

This, I feel is very dangerous since you get a lot of commuters passing through who are unaware that you have to slow to a crawl at that particular zebra crossing.

Drivers should slow at any zebra crossing, not just that particular one, check the sides of the road (if this is obscured, slow down further to give themselves time to stop), they should be prepared for the car in front to stop (something I've failed to do in the past - learn from mistakes and all that). If they're not checking for pedestrians it's because they're bad/lazy drivers.

Drivers should be travelling at a speed at which they can stop within the distance they can see - where e.g. parked cars are causing obstructions, that is a reduction in the distance they can see, so speeds should be lower.

Pedestrians also have a duty of care and should be checking that it is safe to cross. If they don't, they're bad/lazy/suicidal pedestrians.

[Startail]

Pelican crossings just before or just after junctions with traffic lights.

If you want a new crossing modify the junction signals to allow for pedestrians.

There are now so many lights and road markings no one knows what the fuck is going on.

[Boomerwang]

Yes I'm in Sweden now but I used to live in Birmingham and I was thinking of crossings there. There are loads. I'm not saying I only used crossings because it was inconvenient to me, but if the traffic was really bad there was always a crossing nearby, wherever I was.

What I want to know is why on earth there are dropped kerbs and stubbled paving for blind people all the way around roundabouts, yet no crossing control? That seems really crazy to me.

I agree that there are some badly designed road and pavement layouts which just add to the confusion.

[MulledWineOnTheBusLady]

This really winds me up. And then there are people who do indicate but so fast that it only winks on and off once! WTF is the point of that?

I did narrowly miss being run over once having stopped at the kerb and looked carefully back at the traffic before crossing. No-one was indicating. By the time I was in the middle of the road someone had swept round the corner and screeched to a halt in front of me. He must have put his indicator on several seconds after he started turning the steering wheel.

[gobbledegook1]

You are definitely not being unreasonable, nothing worse than driving behind these pillocks either who generally start slowing down then indicating as their starting to turn then checking there mirrors after you've beeped at them for nearly hitting them coz you don't know what the hell their doing - its MIRROR, SIGNAL, MANOEUVRE NOT MANOEUVRE, SIGNAL, MIRROR!!

[bumperella]

... and indicate properly at roundabouts!!! E.G if you're using the next exit then indicate left, not keep your right indicator on!!!!! GAHH

[gobbledegook1]

Agree with WMittens with regards roundabouts too, its a real bug bear of mine when you realise you could have got out 3 times over if people had just indicated sooner or in the case of some if they actually indicated full stop! Its no wonder traffic congestion is often as bad as it is.

[DawnOfTheDee]

In Birmingham, a fair few of the 'crossings' are horrid underground subway type things that stink of piss, are covered in graffiti and have muggers lurking in them (I speak from experience!).

[WrathdePan]

Whilst we are advising drivers, can I point out that the green box in front of traffice lights, painted on the road with a bike outline in white is a space for..um....bikes! thank you.

[FunnysInLaJardin]

all this just means that pedestrians have to be considerate road users just like motorists. Don't just step off the pavement and hope someone will notice you are there, equally be very aware of people who might be wanting to cross the road. We all have to be considerate towards each other

[Thumbwitch]

Ahhhh roundabouts. Now there's an Issue I have now. Being in Australia, they only indicate when they go onto the roundabout (at least partly useful) but are not taught to indicate for the exit. Apparently it was "too confusing/difficult" or somesuch bollocks - so I'm often sitting waiting for someone who looks like they're going all the way around the roundabout, for them to turn off the exit before me with their R indicator still flashing. But this is ALLOWED here. So imagine all those Aussies going over to the UK....

Of course I know it's not just the Aussies who are bastard indicators/non-indicators on roundabouts but just highlighting the cultural differences despite driving on the same side of the road. If anything, in every other way, they tend to over indicate: if you're in a R-turn only filter lane, you really don't need to put your R indicator on, surely? But they all do. Mind you, if they don't indicate 20m prior to turning and a cop sees them then they can be fined for it, I believe.

[AudrinaAdare]

There are lots of side roads where I live. I'm a new driver and know about the pedestrian right of way if they are in the road but fat lot of good it's going to do me if, as a pedestrian, I don't even look for the cars about to belt round the corner or even bother to listen because I am plugged in to an iPod, or texting...

Coming into my estate at secondary chucking out time is terrifying. I want a sign for my car which says, "You are young. You are NOT IMMORTAL!"

[bumperella]

I don't get why you'd worry about indicating on a deserted road. it just becomes second nature, surely?
And I hate Australian roundabouts too now, even though ahve nevefr been there. That would drive me MENTAL, thumbwitch!

[inabeautifulplace]

Seems pretty simple to me.

Approach junction, indicate, wait if any pedestrians are in the road or look likely to cross.

A stunning number of people seem to simply hope that no pedestrians will be in the way. Often they are wrong :(