To think if you press the button on the crossing it should be fucking illegal to cross before you get the green man?

[nicenewone1]

If you are stopping the traffic, do not cross when there is a gap in the traffic, you pressed the fucking button so you wait for the green man!

All the stopping and starting adds to the pollution and it really fucks me off when I stop and they have already crossed and are on their merry way!

It can't be just me can it that thinks people who do this are inconsiderate, selfish and rude with no thought for the environment?

OP is obviously on a wind-up. Or is German

No, OP, you've avoided the question yet again, because you simply refuse to contemplate the possibility that the average pedestrian has no idea when approaching the crossing whether there is or is not likely to be a natural gap in the traffic, and that it is therefore perfectly reasonable to press the button but to walk early if in fact a gap happens. If it wasn't deemed reasonable by Parliament, there would be a law against it.

You have also totally failed to address the point that it makes no difference whatsoever in terms of emissions whether there is or is not someone actually crossing at the time when the cars stop.

But then, the reality is that you keep refusing to address those points because you know perfectly well that an honest and sensible answer destroys your case.

If a pedestrian who could have crossed in a gap in the traffic waits for the green man instead,then the cars who stop for them are still stopping unnecessarily .Because the traffic did not actually need to be stopped for the pedestrian to cross -they could have gone in a gap.
But as many many posters have pointed out,as a pedestrian you don't know at the point that you press the button whether or not a natural gap will occur.
And pelican crossings are put in place because the majority of the time people will need to have some way to stop traffic in order to cross the road safely.Because in that place there are not enough natural gaps in the traffic...
It's not exactly rocket science,is it?

I would like to thank the OP. I now understand what a goady fucker is.

Op why don't you know about puffin crossings? You need to know it when you learn driving theory.

We have a crossroads near us which, when you press the pedestrian crossing button, shows the green man for about 10 seconds which is nowhere near enough to cross the whole road unless you run - completely useless. I usually peek at the traffic lights to check they're still in my favour before finishing the crossing.

Alternatively, 'Pedestrian approaches busy road with lots of traffic on it. They choose not to press the button and instead wait for a natural gap to cross, thus avoiding using the crossing improperly'

But that assumes a pedestrian will know there'll be a gap in the traffic some time soon. How the heck will they know this!

Clearly the solution to global warming is here - we all drive and don't walk. Then there will be no need for pedestrian crossings and none of us will have to stop for those pesky pedestrians ever. That will drastically reduce emissions, am I right OP?

They work quite well and I even suffered at one where a lorry had bashed the sensor out of line and I had to hold the button down to get the lights to change!
So actually they don't work that well. The average punter who doesn't work in the highways dept wouldn't know to hold the button down in that situation.

Fucking diddums mate.

I'm not sure anything else needed to be said after this comment.

Shared space streets are perhaps a way forward.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_space

I have used 'shared space' streets before. They are a fucking nightmare. No one knows who has the right of way. Pedestrians understandably think that it is a pedestrianised street and can therefore wander about. Car drivers get frustrated because they can't drive safely due to all the pedestrians.

I would like to thank the OP. I now understand what a goady fucker is.

I think we should keep this thread to hand for every time someone asks for the definition of a GF.
The op simply cannot be this obtuse, they have to be on a wind up.

Anyone that has been to Ashford will know that shared space streets are absolute carnage.

Just dropping by to say that I have done this twice already today

Ev1Edna

I thought so too!

Actually today I saw someone walk up to a crossing, press the button then step immediately out to cross as the road was empty. That is pretty annoying, not to even notice the road is empty before you just automatically press the button. The person had crossed and walked off by the time the lights had gone red and traffic was stopped with no one crossing.

Maybe that kind of fuckwittery is what OP has been referring to all along?

OP, when I go to a busy road and press the traffic lights, I usually have to wait up to 3 minutes for the light to change. Once I've pressed the lights I can't cancel it (design flaw, but not my fault, just the way it is in this country). Once the green light flashes I have all of 30 seconds to get across the road.

I'm sure you will agree there's a bit difference between 30 second and 180 seconds (aka 3 minutes). If, 10 seconds after I've pressed the button, the very busy road suddenly has a lull, I cross it, thus sparing myself the 170 seconds wait.

It's unfortunate that the next car gets caught for 30 seconds, but usually I'm long gone and they don't know it was me. I'd feel a bit of a people-pleaser if I stood staring at an empty street for 3 minutes just in case a car came by and got mad that they had to stop for 30 seconds.

Next time you stop at traffic lights, count slowly and you'll be surprised at how little time you've been kept waiting. Assuming it's only a crossing traffic light and not a multi-way cross roads where you have to wait for everyone else to take their turn.

londonista, the OP has had plenty of chance to qualify their comments and respond to the explanation of why people might cross before the lights change, but has chosen not to. Just look at their last post on the thread for instance.

Am I missing something here?

If you press the button then the traffic has to stop.

The moment you cross the road has no bearing on whether or not the traffic has to stop. The damage is done by you pressing the button, not by when you cross the road.

If you've pressed the button it's irrelevant when you cross the road.

Bizarre thread.

Can't believe I wasted time reading half this thread.

YUABU and irrational and hypocritical.

Find a decent cause to get pent up about

Whats- yes I was being overly generous to OP on purpose ... one final chance for redemption.

This thread is peak Mumsnet... if you're just arriving don't bother RTFT, life's too short!

A first world problem if ever there was one. Considering drivers don't stop for zebra crossings, and drive above the speed limit more often than not. I'd see this as a non issue yes, I get it's annoying. But it's not even a minute. Get over yourself.

Or heaven forbid these pesky pedestrians could be in a rush.

No way is this silly fucker on a wind-up. This is the mentality of most of the idiots on roads near me. Self-entitled, inpatient fucks.