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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be getting increasingly pissed off with drivers not stopping at zebra crossings?

102 replies

Rainatnight · 12/04/2019 22:39

Is this happening in anyone else's area? Over the past couple of years, I've noticed a real problem in my area with drivers not stopping at zebra crossings. I thought it was just cos I'd just become a pushchair-pusher and was out walking around with DD more, so was noticing it.

But recently it's got even worse again, and it's now happening at least once a day where I live.

It's so dangerous!

What's it like where other people live? And is there anything that can be done? I feel like I should complain to someone but I don't know who!

OP posts:
boringlyboring · 13/04/2019 10:15

Yep happens on a busy road I drive along daily too. With this particular crossing, it’s made worse by the fact that there’s a bus stop right next to it.

When the bus pulls over, it covers one side of the crossing, so you can’t see if anyone’s waiting to cross, or started to, until you’re actually driving over it. I slow down just incase, but unless you get down to moving off speed, it’s still no time to safely stop if a pedestrian appears from behind the bus.

SisyphusDad · 13/04/2019 10:45

Not a new thing unfortunately. Many years ago I was on a zebra crossing, car had stopped, quite properly, but the car behind just pulled out to overtake as I was right in the middle of the road. I just managed to avoid being knocked over.

FallenMadonnawiththeBadBoobies · 13/04/2019 10:53

I work near Moorgate and never find it a problem with cars. However, yesterday, I was half way across when I could see 2 cyclists zooming towards me. I could tell they weren’t going to stop but didn’t know which way around me they were going to go. I just froze. One went just behind me. I have no idea what happened to the other. The taxi driver who had stopped for me blared his horn. Too late, they had gone.

MadisonAvenue · 13/04/2019 10:53

I don't often have to use zebra crossings but drivers going through on red on pedestrian crossings while the green man is lit is a regular occurrence.

PregnantSea · 13/04/2019 11:03

It's easy enough to say just start crossing the road but if you have a pushchair it's different. Before DC I wouldn't think much of just strolling out onto the crossing but to push your baby out when a car is visible and you have no guarantees that they will stop... That's scary. I wouldn't do that.

Luby40 · 13/04/2019 11:19

Yep! We live in a little town in the country, we cross 2 on the way to school every day and it happens more often than not......I'm scared to start crossing too because if your not on their side they carry on, it's too late to take a number by then as im too busy making sure dd is ok! We now stand there and wait for cars to give way......it takes time but its safer!
I keep saying im going to wear a camera 🤬

avacadooo · 13/04/2019 15:45

Happens to me all the time in fact the other day a car ran a red light at a crossing and almost squashed me, I'm lucky that I managed to leap out the way with my bump!

minionsrule · 13/04/2019 16:30

I'm in lancashire and i noticed it more after i had ds..... for me it was usually elderly drivers who didn't even seem to be looking for pedestrians, totally oblivious.
Once ds got old enough to go out on his own i always told him to wait until cars stop both ways (or it is clear) but never assume they will stop for you Angry

SimonJT · 13/04/2019 16:33

It’s awful here (north east london), it looks like few of the push button crossings have cameras as loads of motorist go through on red.

RosaWaiting · 13/04/2019 16:36

I live in London and this happens a lot.

I don't drive so I don't know - if there's no red light involved, is it actually illegal not to wait for a pedestrian?

I don't think it is. So I just wait, and acknowledge the drivers who do stop. But I agree it's a massive change over about....5 years?

GregoryPeckingDuck · 13/04/2019 16:37

Huge problem in London. I’ve started crossing Kathmandu style. Some of them get very frustrated but I just take some extra time crossing to demonstrate that this is what a zebra crossing is. Where I live it’s not as much of an issue with zebra crossings but no respect for puffin (is it puffin or pelican, the ones with the flashing yellow).

ostinato · 13/04/2019 16:51

Cyclists are the absolute worst for this. I had one scream abuse at me when I was on a zebra crossing with a pram. I'm also in London and jumping out of the way of rogue cyclists is a daily occurrence. No such problem with cars.

woodhill · 13/04/2019 16:59

In the 80s my boyfriend got fined for not stopping at a zebra and got points- a policeman was nearby.

I always stop even if they look like they may want to cross but not on crossing or slow down. Good manners surely

RosaWaiting · 13/04/2019 17:36

"I'm also in London and jumping out of the way of rogue cyclists is a daily occurrence"

oh this. So much this. Much worse now anyone can hire a bike at those stands - I see them hurtling along and wobbling and looking like they have no fucking clue how to cycle frankly.

Misty9 · 13/04/2019 17:41

If you catch drivers not stopping when youre on the crossing then it's an offence punishable with a fine and points. Hence getting my camera phone out... Grin

tisonlymeagain · 13/04/2019 17:43

As I understand it, legally you don't have to stop at a zebra crossing unless the pedestrian is physically on it, but yes, the courteous thing to do is to stop if you see someone waiting. I tend to slow down on approach anyway as the amount of people I've seen just do an about turn and dart out into one without really looking...

HuntingHeffalumps · 13/04/2019 18:46

Years ago we stopped at a zebra for someone and the car behind us went straight into the back of us. We were shunted onto the crossing. DS (then a baby) was in the back.

Luckily no one was hurt and the person we stopped for hadn't started crossing.

Our car was a write off though and other driver didn't have insurance. Angry

SaveKevin · 13/04/2019 18:51

It seems to have coincided with the lack of indicating. Drives me potty, how do you know when to cross Angry

NannyRed · 13/04/2019 19:01

Yanbu, it’s like car drivers think they are king of the road.

I was coming back from a trip to the supermarket with my daughter, pushing my grandson in his buggy when we stopped at a crossing. A car pulled up across the zebra crossing, so we walked in front of the car. He got very annoyed and started shouting at us for ‘stopping him pulling away’ at the t-junction.

Next junction (30 m). He was still waiting so I stuck a sanitary towel on his back window, yes I know it makes me immature and no better than him, but he got out , holding the junction up to remove the pad and shout at me once again. My defence was if he wants to act like a cunt, I’ll treat him like one.

Sorry that’s no help to you, maybe we need to be armed with a squeezy bottle of mayo for squirting these arseholes as they whizz past us.

MothertotheLordsofmisrule · 13/04/2019 19:30

My defence was if he wants to act like a cunt, I’ll treat him like one.

Childish but I like your style.Wink

MsMightyTitanAndHerTroubadours · 13/04/2019 19:44

our tesco car park is very badly designed and no one ever wants to stop at the crossing to get you out of the store

I thrust the trolley out , and think bring it on

A couple of months ago some eejit was driving so fast he lost control and completely flattened a lampost on the corner by the crossing...hit it hard enough it was actually laid it flat on the ground and totalled the front of his car, the car had to be hauled off......apparently he was only doing 10mph.

temperancefugit · 13/04/2019 19:55

I always understood that the onus was on the driver to slow down ready to stop when approaching a zebra crossing if it looked like a pedestrian might be going to use the crossing.” look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross” Highway Code.
From reading some of these posts, it seems a lot of drivers don’t have this mindset. No wonder there are so many accidents. As for advising pedestrians to start crossing before the car has slowed down. Are you mad?!
Think I will start recording these selfish and dangerous drivers on my phone.

lampygirl · 14/04/2019 08:30

@MsMighty The one thing I do think about the supermarket ones is that they should be a bit more of the type where you press the button and wait for traffic lights. If you sat in my local tescos you’d see that a steady stream of people come out of the shop and just as one finishes crossing the next one starts. It’s on the way in to the car park so you only need 10 people doing this on a Saturday morning and the queue of cars backs up and nobody can drive in or out either. If it allowed a group of pedestrians to go, then a group of cars, then a group of pedestrians it would be much better designed.

I’m a gung ho walker at these crossings though if I’m honest, though generally if I was waiting I’d wave through a cyclist (mind you I’m not in London where the bad commuter cyclist name seems to stem from, most of the ones by me seem to be well organised clubs/enthusiasts) simply because on a bike of the three modes of transport it’s the most hard work to get going again. It’s easy in my car and it’s easy on foot but it’s more effort to stop, unclip pedals, not fall over, get going, clip pedal back in, especially uphill.

UCOforAC12 · 14/04/2019 10:06

I was crossing with my youngest and a cyclist went through almost hitting us. I was tempted to give him a big shove but I didn't fancy a criminal record. I managed an 'OI!' He managed a finger and I wished I'd shoved him!

Chouetted · 14/04/2019 16:47

Some cyclists are horrendous. I used to get sworn at for near misses when crossing at pedestrian crossings - they expected me to see them coming and dodge them.

Now, if I could do that, I wouldn't need to wait for the green man, would I? Hmm