to think pedestrians on a narrow country road should expect to give way to cars?

[TheOneWiththeNicestSmile]

I was a bit gobsmacked by this today. They were walking 2 abreast towards me; as I approached they went one behind the other, but there was another car coming the other way - as is usual we were clearly all going to arrive at the same point at the same time (is it Murphy's law?) but equally clearly they had no intention of stepping on to the verge while the cars passed. I ended up at a dead stop just ahead of them as the other car went by.

They were wrong, yes? Pedestrians walking on the road - a national limit road - should give way to cars? We gave each other filthy looks but I refrained from ramming them.

It's pretty stupid to walk down a road where it's impossible to get out of the way of traffic.

It's pretty stupid to drive at all if your hazard perception is so poor you can't avoid a pedestrian walking in the gutter. Only the terminally thick or goady can't grasp that.

I think this thread is very informative for those of us that live rurally - and explains some of the driving that I see around here.

Not sure I can get my 3 kids into a ditch quickly enough to avoid a car coming towards us at 60 mph outside the school gate (and yes, the road outside our school is nation speed limit with no pavement but most people slow down a bit)

McColnel People often have no choice but to walk along these roads. Is it really too much to ask the motorist to drive with care and attention, and move out of the way of pedestrians when necessary.

McColnel People often have no choice but to walk along these roads. Is it really too much to ask the motorist to drive with care and attention, and move out of the way of pedestrians when necessary.

It is when you're talking to someone who appears to be related to Jeremy Clarkson.

Is it too much to hope that GFs try to use a modicum of intelligence in order to make the purpose of their post just a little less obvious?

GFs???

Goady fuckers

Goady fuckers.

Quite a few of them on this thread -- except I suspect that they actually believe the rubbish they're spouting about the rights of car drivers.

Which is worrying.

You are wrong.

Give way to the pedestrians as if you hit them it would be you in hot water!

Or shall be ban all pedestrians/cyclists/horses from the highways?

Would you ram a horse rider ? A cyclist? A child walking?

I thought it was girlfriends

You blur two different issues McColonel. The first is whether OP is right to think pedestrians ought to get out of her way on the road. She's wrong. On every level. The second is whether, because lots of drivers have the sort of dangerously entitled mindset that you and OP have, it's sometimes sensible for pedestrians not to avail themselves of their Highway Code rights in order to stop stupid arseholes killing them due to negligence. To which the answer is yes, sometimes.

It's pretty stupid to walk down a road where it's impossible to get out of the way of traffic.

When I was a young gel back in the day, I used to walk to my horse-riding lessons about 3 miles away, no public transport and my mum worked saturday mornings and they didn't let 13 year olds drive then, even though this was the olden days.

Most of the way was country roads with no pavements.

Luckily all the cars I encountered seemed to agree with the highway code that roads are for road-users (ie everyone for the hard of understanding) not for motorised vehicles only.

The options would have been -

a) give up horse riding,
b) illegally take my mums car,
c) walk in single file as per the highway code and hope the car owners had read the highway code too (given its part of their driving test)
d) petition the government to put a pavement along every road in the country adding the cost to the Vehicle Excise Duty and if necessary making the car part of the road single lane only,
e) fling myself into the verge/hedge every 5 minutes.

c) does seem the most sensible option to me but does require a bit of common sense and a knowledge of the highway code alarmingly both of which seem to be in short supply in some posters.

It's pretty stupid to walk down a road where it's impossible to get out of the way of traffic.

Are you seriously suggesting that people who live in the countryside shouldn't leave their houses other than by car? Ever?!

I think you are confusing motorways and country roads.

Or maybe you want to live in a country where no-one gets anywhere under their own steam any more, people don't walk in their neighbourhood for exercise, and basically everyone has no manners while driving and goes about as if they are in the midst of some kind of road rage, frustrated not to have people diving about out of their way left, right and centre?

Rockdoctor I think this thread is very informative for those of us that live rurally - and explains some of the driving that I see around here.

I know, its scary that, yes, some people are actually that stupid and ignorant combined. Its probably because they actually do go everywhere by car and have no concept of anyone who doesn't do so, every single time they leave their house.

There seems to be an expectation amongst some drivers that the road is theirs by right. It's not. They are just one of the types of user on it, and they need to learn that they have to share, and that they don't necessarily have priority.

If pedestrians leap into the verges when you drive past, that's not because they acknowledge that you have a prior claim on the road space, it's because they don't trust you to obey the law or behave like a reasonable, considerate road user.

I would say there fair few who are just incompetent verging on dangerous, no matter where they drive. You just have to hope you don't encounter one, either as a pedestrian or driver.

You know the type - they drive down the centre of their lane, too fast and too close, safe in the knowledge that they won't be harmed and that 9 times out of 10 the other driver/the pedestrian will avoid them, so there are no consequences for their lack of care and skill. And then its all "oh, the other driver/pedestrian/cyclist/horserider/tractor driver shouldn't have been there anyway".

When I was walking down the lane I live on today,going from a to b as people do,I conducted a (very) scientific survey.
Of 5 cars that passed me,4 were considerate and gave me space.
3 were locals I recognise,2 waved,but one was a considerate stranger.

The last twattybollocks appeared round the corner driving like shit off a hot shovel,despite hauling a big fuck off trailer.And he was doing all this while talking on his mobile phone.I had to do a very quick side step.

Now then McColonel who in that instance was the stupid one?
Me -for walking to the village?
Or him,for driving like a plonker?

It is seriously annoying when on a countryside walk (i.e.. Being active, breathing in the fresh air, enjoying nature) you are continuously faced with cars (i.e. In your eyes when on walk- lazy, irritating people) coming either way, thus breaking up the peace of your walk, and you having to warn each other you see/hear yet another car approach and then stop/get to the side/wait until car has passed. Id have thanked the walkers for even changing to walk one behind the other, and any car who didn't thank us gets a very dirty look and sometimes when said car window is open and they don’t thank us, I cant help but make a comment “our pleasure” “ oh don’t worry, its FINE”. YADBU.