Unreasonable driver or deranged pedestrian? Over to the MN Jury

[woolythoughts]

I’ll try to keep it to the point – google picture attached of the actual section of road.

1. In a queue of traffic up the lights at the junction – nose to tail traffic
2. There is nothing on the road to indicate that it is a crossing of any sort nor are there any keep clear markings
3. A dropped kerb with an island does not in itself make a crossing

Was I unreasonable to draw the following:

Conclusion 1: There was no requirement for me to keep the road clear at the point of the dropped kerb

Conclusion 2: The woman who pushed her buggy into the side of my car, banged on the window and started effing and blinding about it being a crossing and having to leave space was off her head and I was justified in telling her to do one.

Yanbu

I’d have left a space for someone to cross but you’re not obliged to.

Conclusion 2 - some people are just crazy.

No you didn't have to, but it IS a crossing point and common decency says you leave it clear. What possible advantage did you gain by blocking it?

I agree that it's not a proper crossing but I might have left a space if I had seen it since I expect lots of people do cross there. I don't think you were obliged to though! Is there a proper crossing nearby or is that the only place for ages?

It's not a crossing as in a zebra or pelican, but it is a place to cross. The floor tiles and the dropped kerbs signify that. A space should have been left.

Well, I think it's clearly a crossing. The dropped kerbs, the island, the fact there's a gravelly stuff on the island that match the kerbs in a seamless "cross here" sort of way all denote a crossing to me.
But banging, effing and blinding - not on.

Sorry, posted too soon.

On the flip side, if the pedestrian did hit your car as aggressively as you make out then she was too very out of order

There are dropped curbs. yabu for blocking them. A wheelchair user would have had to wait for you to move and hope some other numpty didn't block the crossing. Just because there wasn't a boxed junction or lines indicating a crossing doesn't mean you shouldn't be courteous and think ahead. What would the car length have got you in nose to tail traffic? I've never understood people who do that.

SWBU for banging on your car with her buggy but she's probably had selfish people like you block her there before and I don't blame her for knocking on your window. Maybe not the effing and blinding but a knock on the window to make a point it is a crossing (and looking at that photo it's clear that it is regardless of lack of markings) is fair play on her part.

If more drivers were a little more courteous and less entitled, selfish arses the world would be a better place.

There is a proper crossing a bit further back and a bit further forward.

To be honest, I didn't see it at the time (was concentrating on the traffic in front of me) which is why I questioned myself and googled it afterward in case I'd missed something I should have given way for.

It’s not a ‘proper’ crossing so strictly speaking YANBU.

However, in queuing traffic it is common courtesy to keep it clear for pedestrians so I can see why she was annoyed even though she was technically wrong. It’s not a crossing but it is the place you would choose to cross on that road.

You don’ted to keep any part of the road clear unless there are markings like crosshatch or zebra. I expect she was having a bad day. Was your car damaged?

I’d have left a space

Yabu. It may not be a crossing, but it's clearly intended as a safe place to cross, so why be awkward and block it? Saying that, buggy woman's reaction was totally ott.

YANBU. It's not a formal crossing with the appropriate road markings (zigzags etc)
It would be nice if it was left clear, but there is no obligation to do so. She should have waited patiently for an appropriate gap in the traffic.

I think you were both a little unreasonable; you not to leave a gap, and her behaviour when you didn’t. I can’t really see from the photo whether there is an area of tactile paving on the footpath which would indicate a safer place to cross the road for someone with a visual impairment, but it looks as though there might be.

You don't have to but I would have. If in nose to tail traffic it makes sense to let people cross.

But she was BU to do what she did.

It’s not a proper crossing but paying some attention to where you are stopping would have been nice!

As someone who pushes a wheelchair a lot it is annoying when someone blocks a dropped kerb meaning you miss a chance to cross

What JAMMFYesPlease said esp. last paragraph. That's obviously a crossing. Why would you not leave it clear?

You may not have been in breach of the Highway Code, but you were carelessly anti-social. She sounds unreasonable - most people in her position would just have moaned under their breath about “selfish bloody drivers”

There's an island and dropped curbs, it's a crossing.

Even if it was a zebra crossing that wouldn't justify ramming your buggy into someone's car and swear at them. What a stupid this to do. I doubt she would have do E it if you had been a man.

It is clearly a crossing! Yes, she was rude for banging on your window, but you were rude for telling her to 'do one'.

And it's slightly worrying you didn't notice an island next to you.

You should’ve left a space but SWBU to get aggressive over it