To think a driver (or cyclist) having to give way to a pedestrian waiting to cross is a crazy new rule?

[flashbac]

To clarify, if a pedestrian is waiting to cross on a road a driver is turning into, new rules from January state the driver has to let them cross.
Also applies to cyclists as pedestrians have priority.
All very well and good until you consider how chaotic this could be at junctions. Fine on unbusy roads.
I'm thinking:
What if you are turning into a 30 mph road from a 40?
What if you are turning right at a busy junction?

It sounds crazy to me.
And before anyone jumps at me and says they do it in Europe and its fine. I'd like to know how congested and busy the roads in these countries are and what the public transport is like.

Not a crazy rule in my opinion, but bad to be introducing it when there is minimal publicity.

I'd welcome an extension of the trial where pedestrian crossing default to red for cars, green for pedestrians, until cars come along.

@shouldistop

It's bonkers and there's no way I'll be teaching my children they can step out in front of a car.

Think it's more like, stand by kerb, wait for car to stop, cross. Like zebra crossing. It's a big change.

In country’s that have this rule, like mine, the school issue is real. It gets dealt with on a case by case basis. Some schools get a traffic light so the children cross with the light. This helps keep the kids safe and provides breaks for the cars to pass. Some schools get a crossing guard. These tend to be assigned to the lower grade schools, but it also just depends on the geography. They pause periodically and let the built up traffic flow. Then swap and let the kids cross again.

No one wants the children trying to hope for gaps in the traffic to try to hurry across. The idea is simply preposterous. Not stopping for a child waiting at a crossing or an intersection will definitely earn a driver or cyclist a ticket. An adult, honestly, I’ve seen officers look the other way, but I’ve also seen them pull people over and ticket them.

@Gorseinon22

Not a crazy rule in my opinion, but bad to be introducing it when there is minimal publicity.

I'd welcome an extension of the trial where pedestrian crossing default to red for cars, green for pedestrians, until cars come along.

Or just lights that change to red when you press the button. The modern lights they’ve installed near us only stop the traffic when there is a break in the traffic. You have to wait so long that people start crossing when it’s not safe. Plus once you’ve pressed the button it goes out again if someone crosses because it senses the person has already crossed but ignores that there are people still waiting. It’s basically anti-pedestrian. And if you are blind it must be really annoying because you can’t even see if the button you’ve pressed has gone out again.

I can see lots of rear ending happening with this rule and a lot more road rage too. The standard of driving and road behaviour is appalling atm and this rule change is going to create more accidents. I do see the good intentions behind the rule change (ie to increase protection for the most vulnerable road users) but the reality will be different. If you don't already have a front and rear dash cam, now is the time to get one.

In the US, it is mostly the case that pedestrians have right of way over cars making turns at intersections where there is no indicator light. Of course if there is an indicator light (pedestrian or traffic light), that takes priority. If there is a stop sign, pedestrian has right of way whether the car is turning or not.

It becomes second nature. Any traffic law change takes time to adapt to.

As an American who had never been to the UK before, when I moved here it was quite a shock to walk to a corner and have the cars making turns not stop to let us cross.

Haven't read the full thread apologies but just read the OP out to DH who says it's always been this way and is in the Highway Code? 🤔

I am going to check whether he's right... !

The modern lights they’ve installed near us only stop the traffic when there is a break in the traffic. You have to wait so long that people start crossing when it’s not safe. Plus once you’ve pressed the button it goes out again if someone crosses because it senses the person has already crossed but ignores that there are people still waiting. It’s basically anti-pedestrian.

We have those too and it’s such a pain. I’m a fast walker and I can’t even cross it between the time the green person comes on and off so I end up jogging across. I make sure to go during quiet times with the pram because I tend to have groceries or plants in the basket and don’t want to lose them trying to cross the street. I feel bad for those who are elderly and disabled because by time the green goes off , they’re usually in the middle of the road!

I think you will find it’s the motorists who are grumpy, not the cyclists

Thanks for the good laugh!!!!

As a driver, pedestrian and cyclist, the most grumpy group I encounter are the drivers

And most impatient

@Mofomo

As a driver, pedestrian and cyclist, the most grumpy group I encounter are the drivers

Oh yes for sure. Obviously many drivers are not grumpy, but there really are quite a lot who just look thoroughly pissed off. Never understand it, what's not to like about sitting in traffic, breathing in fumes, getting DVT, watching other people whizz past you on a bike?

@Mofomo

As a driver, pedestrian and cyclist, the most grumpy group I encounter are the drivers

As a pedestrian (so no skin in the drivers vs cyclists game) drivers are much, much worse.

Particularly, for some reason, in bad weather. When it’s pissing down with rain I don’t really understand why it’s the person sat on a comfortable seat in a waterproof metal tin, probably with the radio on or some tunes, warm and dry, who is so enraged by having to be there for a minute or two longer than they’d like to be. But it is.

Because sitting in a protected metal box turns alot of people into curmudgeonly entitled angry idiots

“And if you are blind it must be really annoying because you can’t even see if the button you’ve pressed has gone out again.”

The lighted crossings don’t chirp there?

@BendicksBittermints4Breakfast

I think you will find it’s the motorists who are grumpy, not the cyclists

Thanks for the good laugh!!!!

You obviously don’t commute by bike

@Signalbox The little spinning triangle of plastic under the box is there so that visually impaired people know when they can cross.

[quote Simonjt]@Signalbox The little spinning triangle of plastic under the box is there so that visually impaired people know when they can cross.[/quote]
Yes I know that, but if the button keeps unpressing itself the plastic doesn’t tell the blind person they need to re-press the button. The lights keep resetting so it’s as if nobody has pressed the button in the first place.

This rule change would be great in theory but the problem is too many drivers do not leave enough room between themselves and the car in front so if the driver behind thinks the car in front is turning left but then it suddenly stops to let a pedestrian cross he/she is going to crunch straight into the stopped car.

I normally give way to pedestrians and cyclists just seems like the right thing to do as long as it is safe. Especially if it's bad weather.

@Mofomo

Because sitting in a protected metal box turns alot of people into curmudgeonly entitled angry idiots

🤣🤣 Yes being a cyclist also this is very true.

In theory, it'll mean I can cross the road from my house to our local shops in less than 5 minutes, on a busy Saturday morning.

In reality, arseholes will be arseholes and the twats who accelerate at me when I have something approaching a safe gap in the traffic will still be arseholes.

@user68901

This rule change would be great in theory but the problem is too many drivers do not leave enough room between themselves and the car in front so if the driver behind thinks the car in front is turning left but then it suddenly stops to let a pedestrian cross he/she is going to crunch straight into the stopped car.

Maybe a bonus will be that drivers learn to stop tailgating then.

Totally didn't know about this! As a pedestrian I'm always quiet cautious never expect drivers to stop. A couple of weeks ago TWICE on the same day I was about to cross a traffic lighted pedestrian crossing and had the sense that the car coming towards was going to fast and I paused as it careered through the red light. I instinctively grabbed a woman who was about to run across. She was shocked and thankful and said better to be alive than right! The phrase stuck with me. I don't think i'll be assuming any drivers know this.