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?

There are too many traffic lights in Swansea and the synchronisation is shite so you can sometimes cross a road without waiting for the green man.

I did once thump a bus for doing that, UpinScots. Had stopped on a crossing and also entirely blocking the gap in the railings on the other side, so all of us crossing had to stand in the road while the traffic changed. Driver wasn't happy but FFS, neither was I.

No I'm not being ridiculous, but I think people who don't drive have no concept

Don't be even more ridiculous. Do you not understand once the button has been pressed it can't be cancelled?

I'm trying to teach little ones that you should only cross when the green man is on

If parents and small children are waiting I never cross until there is a green man or the parents do.

I used to live in Germany and once crossed the road on a red man. I got shouted at by an old man.

It made no difference whether or not the button was pressed as it was a major junction and I don't recall.

So you could also move to Germany.

yabu

I can't take someone seriously complaining about pedestrians adding to pollution. Get public transport or walk if it bothers you that much

I do this on a road near because traffic isn't predictable, there might be a gap straight away or I could be standing there for ten minutes. I press the button unlsss there's an immediately visible gap.

No I'm not being ridiculous, but I think people who don't drive have no concept

I drive and I still do this - you walk up to a crossing press button, no traffic so go BUT you have to press button otherwise a car may come speeding along and run you down half way through because you didn't press button.

Actually I pray someone presses the button everyday by my ones where I work as its the only way I can get out onto the main road from side road.

Get over yourself op.

I drive and walk. If I press the button and then there's a big gap in the traffic before the green man, I cross. Why on earth wouldn't you? What's the point of just standing there when you could cross safely?! Waiting for the green man has no effect whatsoever on how long the motorists have to wait.

The traffic lights near my house run on a rotation (junction from shopping centre and motorway slip road) so pressing the botton for the green man actually does nothing. The lights run the cycle regardless of me pressing the button or not.

Also where is the logic in standing for the best part of 5 minutes to wait on the green man. If there is a large enough gap for me to safely cross then I will. We have 3 sets of lights to get through and on a busy traffic day it can take 15 minutes to get across the road. If I can get across with traffic gaps in less than 5 the I will.

Also zebra crossings are hellish. Where I used to live we had one and very few cars bothered to stop. I have almost been run over 3 times (mid way over crossing and cars not slowing down so I've had to run). Traffic cops also nearly hit DD's buggy (when she was inside) one time on the zebra crossing - I had to pull it out the way sharpish or she would have been crushed.

I think I'd they had a countdown on the pedestrian lights less people would press the button, get impatient and cross before the green man comes on. It annoys me when people ignore the red man when I'm trying to teach my dc how to cross the road safely.

f you press the button, you wait. How can you argue with that?

If it is clearly safe to cross, you go. How can you argue with that? What on earth is the point in standing there staring at an empty road rather than getting on with your journey?

I'm a driver. There's a crossing near us which is incredibly slow to react to the button being pressed, with the result that very frequently by the time the lights go red the pedestrian is long gone. If I get caught by that as a driver, I really don't care. I will still have to wait at the light whether there is a pedestrian crossing at that point or not.

This is he most ridiculous AIBU I've read in a long while

Indeed

If you know you're going to cross before the green man, then why have you pressed the button

you're jaywalking

Feilin Yes! We have a busy high street but so many crossings the cars can never get above about 5 mph. Despite having a disproportionately large number of crossings - about one every few yards, honestly - people STILL cross in between crossings. What's even worse is that they bloody dawdle diagonally and stay in the road for ages, instead of at least nipping smartly straight across.

And before I'm accused of being disablist, I AM disabled yet
I still manage to get to the crossing, in order to cross safely.

niceone Particularly infuriating when you see children pressing the button but not crossing - pressing it as they go past!

You don't know that. You press the button to get the green man. You don't know in advance if there will be a gap.

If you know you're going to cross before the green man, then why have you pressed the button

Because at that point you have no idea when a gap in traffic will appear, nor how long it will take to get a green man. Honestly, how difficult is it to work that one out?

Just wait for the green man, you're adding to pollution if I stop unnecessarily. I do not mind stopping at all, I really don't. For people. I do mind stopping for no reason, because you can't be bothered to wait.

You drive for a living? You'll age very quickly if you think this is a big deal.

Not JAYWALKING oh my fuck call the papers.

This is so weird. So if I press the button when there is loads of traffic, but then there is a massive gap and I could safely cross, I should wait anyway?

Or do you think people have the ability to predict there will be a gap in traffic?

You need better things to get angry about.

"If you know you're going to cross before the green man, then why have you pressed the button

you're jaywalking"

Do you know how traffic works op? Sometimes it looks like there is a shit load of traffic coming your way. Sometimes the traffic clears up quite quickly, which may explain why one minute the green man is needed ad the next he isn't.

Jaywalking is not applicable in the UK btw

You do seem to mind stopping just a wee bit there, OP.

Also, once the button is pressed you're going to have to stop anyway whether the pedestrian waits or not. I believe a poster or two may have made this point upthread?

You're very naive if you believe that all drivers stop at crossings. I have the best story ever - even involves a cyclist. I was at a crossing with lights (can't remember the name) on a busy road in a town centre and pressed the button. The lights changed to red but a huge 4x4 had stopped partially over the crossing. It was a bit annoying, but there was still room to get across it if I walked behind, so I did. I was still on the crossing, and could see that the lights were still on red, but felt a bit funny about pushing my pushchair out from behind the car without looking, so was tentatively edging forwards and leaning to double check. That's when a cyclist ran the red light, clipped the front wheel of my buggy, then turned around and gave me a mouthful of abuse. If I hadn't stopped halfway across to double check, he would have barrelled right into my baby and he had the nerve to start swearing and shouting at me.

Another one was the type of crossing without lights. Again, had my pushchair with me, then a car stopped to let us cross. The motorbike behind didn't like this, so as I was about to step off the pavement it undertook the stopped car, mounting the pavement in front of my pushchair. The car driver was so shocked and apologetic (obviously not their fault) and checked we were ok. But some people are just fucking arseholes.

So....there I am, trying to cross a busy road....I press the button, and wait for ages. Cars rush past, I'm still stood there. Suddenly, a gap in the traffic appears! It is safe for me to cross and I need to get somewhere, so I cross the road. Seconds later the green man lights up behind me, inconveniencing some people for up to an ENTIRE MINUTE.

DEAR GOD WILL NO-ONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN