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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

449 replies

flashbac · 31/12/2021 07:17

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.

OP posts:
Zeewest · 31/12/2021 08:42

Have u also seen you can be fined £1000 for flashing your lights. I know it won't be enforced but if it stops just one idiot burning my eyeballs out to thank me I'll be happy

jgw1 · 31/12/2021 08:43

@ErrolTheDragon

* Aren't you supposed to reduce your speed when you get to the sign? It really annoys me that people slow down in advance of the speed signs.*

Seriously?ConfusedHmm Are you also one of the idiots who speeds up within a 30mph zone so they've hit 60 at the point they pass a National speed limit sign, rather than after it (if safe)?

Well yes of course. One has to be going at the speed the sign says, otherwise why would they put the sign there?
jgw1 · 31/12/2021 08:44

@Zeewest

Have u also seen you can be fined £1000 for flashing your lights. I know it won't be enforced but if it stops just one idiot burning my eyeballs out to thank me I'll be happy
How will we warn other road users of those sneaky speed cameras then?
ErrolTheDragon · 31/12/2021 08:44

Well yes of course. One has to be going at the speed the sign says, otherwise why would they put the sign there?

You're trolling, aren't you?

StinkyBumFartyBaby · 31/12/2021 08:45

Crikey, this is new to me! Where was I supposed to have found out? I haven't seen it anywhere!

ErrolTheDragon · 31/12/2021 08:46

How will we warn other road users of those sneaky speed cameras then?

I find the presence of either a large yellow box, or a brightly marked van with a lens pointing out of it does the trick of warning me nicely. Unless I'm not driving without due care and attention I suppose.

JakeyRolling · 31/12/2021 08:47

Some pedestrians will absolutely walk out without looking if they think they have "right of way" - it already happens in my town. We have a one-way street (one of the main ones in town) with high buildings either side and a narrow pavement. The council in their wisdom put a zebra crossing right at the top. Pedestrians either appear from behind the buildings and cross without looking or pausing or you get groups chatting at the corner, and just as you've decided they don't want to cross one breaks off from the group and crosses.

I can also see a situation where a car turning left stops to let a pedestrian cross then just as they start turning a cyclist zooms up their inside and across their path.

It's a disaster waiting to happen and the only real winners will be the insurance industry.

RichardMarxisinnocent · 31/12/2021 08:47

@loudbatperson

I think if more drivers and cyclist obeyed the old rule (pedestrians already crossing the new road had priority over those turning in), and drove accordingly and cautiously when turning into a junction, the new rule wouldn't have been needed.
Completely agree with this. I do a lot of walking and crossing roads and drivers appear to either not know this rule, or to just ignore it. So many of them don't slow down and keep driving towards me forcing me to speed up or even run to avoid being hit.
SunshineCake1 · 31/12/2021 08:47

Since a car can do more damage to me than I can it I always think about where I am crossing and would never cross where the knock on effect of a car having to do an unexpected stop would be bad. Everyone just needs to use their eyes and brains.

HunterHearstHelmsley · 31/12/2021 08:49

@YourenutsmiLord

YourenutsmiLord

Does it also apply at junctions with traffic lights - if so I can see Princes St in Edinburgh grinding to a halt as no car can turn left due to ceaseless meandering pedestrians.

^What happens now? Do drivers just plough through them?*
No there are things called traffic lights which give priority to pedestrians then change and give priority to vehicles. That way everything keeps moving, turn about.

I think the previous poster was talking about the ones that don't have a walk signal (my mind has gone blank and can't remember what they are actually called Blush)

I've just driven through one, three way lights and no green men. Theoretically, a pedestrian would cross against the change. On a normal morning, this probably wouldn't be too bad but on a busy shopping day it would be chaos.

As I've said, I can't see people actually doing it much because they don't want to be hurt but it's worth musing.

Crazykatie · 31/12/2021 08:49

It will probably reduce the number of near misses at junctions, at road junctions as a pedestrian I never trust a car to give way, so I don’t think it will make much difference in practice. Quite likely there will be occasional shunts when a driver stops unexpectedly for a pedestrian and the following driver hits his rear.

FreedomFaith · 31/12/2021 08:49

@loudbatperson

I think if more drivers and cyclist obeyed the old rule (pedestrians already crossing the new road had priority over those turning in), and drove accordingly and cautiously when turning into a junction, the new rule wouldn't have been needed.
If people drove accordingly and cautiously though, we'd have fewer accidents. Unfortunately we've given licences to many morons so there's more accidents. Just wait until the law changes on anyone being allowed to pull a trailer without getting tested, so many accidents and dead animals on the road in 2022.
JakeyRolling · 31/12/2021 08:50

Also can see car drivers pulling out of slipways in front of 44 tonne hgvs because they have "right of way". I know that's not how the rule is intended to work but it's not been adequately explained and some folk will just see the "hierarchy" and think it applies to everything.

ErrolTheDragon · 31/12/2021 08:50

Completely agree with this. I do a lot of walking and crossing roads and drivers appear to either not know this rule, or to just ignore it. So many of them don't slow down and keep driving towards me forcing me to speed up or even run to avoid being hit.

The other thing is drivers not bothering to signal that they're intending to turn in good time if it's just a pedestrian waiting.

HunterHearstHelmsley · 31/12/2021 08:52

Anyone turning into side streets at 30mph is driving dangerously. Slowing down to turn into a side street is not the same thing as driving everywhere at 15mph, as someone here somewhat disingenuously suggested.

It wasn't a disingenuous suggestion. It was a glib comment. As I've already said and as you've already read.

KiloWhat · 31/12/2021 08:53

@StinkyBumFartyBaby

Crikey, this is new to me! Where was I supposed to have found out? I haven't seen it anywhere!
It's up to the drivers to check they are up to date with the highway code
loudbatperson · 31/12/2021 08:54

I can also see a situation where a car turning left stops to let a pedestrian cross then just as they start turning a cyclist zooms up their inside and across their path.

This would be the drivers fault. You always, always have to check your mirror and blind spot before turning. If you have had to pause or time has passed since your last check, you have to check again before turning. The car is going to be cutting across the path of the cyclist, so has to yield to the cyclist and let any approaching road user who is going forward pass first. That's the case now and the case under the new rules.

These are the basics taught in the first driving lessons.

KiloWhat · 31/12/2021 08:55

Well yes of course. One has to be going at the speed the sign says, otherwise why would they put the sign there?

Get some refresher lessons before you kill someone

HunterHearstHelmsley · 31/12/2021 08:56

@JakeyRolling

Also can see car drivers pulling out of slipways in front of 44 tonne hgvs because they have "right of way". I know that's not how the rule is intended to work but it's not been adequately explained and some folk will just see the "hierarchy" and think it applies to everything.
That's what scares me.

A very very very long time ago. My father used to be a lorry driver and obviously worked with other lorry drivers. At a pedestrian crossing, an elderly lady hadn't crossed before the man turned red. She stopped and banged on the front of the lorry, the driver had no idea she was there and you can guess what happened. As long as my dad knew him, he never drove again, he was absolutely devastated. Obviously the family of the woman were devastated also.

It worries me that some people think of lorries etc. being the same as a car, that they can see them, that the stopping distances are the same. Lives can be ruined in an instant.

AutumnAlmanack · 31/12/2021 08:56

It is utter madness. Why can't we just stick to the old rule that pedestrians who want to cross the road find a pedestrian crossing?

Or make it like the USA, where you are ONLY allowed to cross at designated crossings and have to wait until the traffic stops at the lights. That is a sensible system.

FreedomFaith · 31/12/2021 08:57

@ErrolTheDragon

Well yes of course. One has to be going at the speed the sign says, otherwise why would they put the sign there?

You're trolling, aren't you?

They might be trolling, but there's plenty of people who do drive like this. I live next to where it turns to 60 from 30 in a town. The amount of people doing well over 30 way before the 60 sign (national speed sign before anyone tries that) is quite astounding. This is close to a school as well, and many are parents doing this. Also coming into the town most aren't doing 30 straight away.
shouldistop · 31/12/2021 08:57

@AutumnAlmanack

It is utter madness. Why can't we just stick to the old rule that pedestrians who want to cross the road find a pedestrian crossing?

Or make it like the USA, where you are ONLY allowed to cross at designated crossings and have to wait until the traffic stops at the lights. That is a sensible system.

To be fair we'd need a lot more designated crossings. I wouldn't be able to walk my son to school or get to the train station with those rules
Iggly · 31/12/2021 08:58

@Unescorted

Surely if you are turning into a junction you are going slow enough to pause momentarily to allow a person continue in their straight line journey. If you can't manage that without causing chaos then you may want to think about your ability to drive.
^this

Who hurtles around corners at high speeds!?

KiloWhat · 31/12/2021 08:59

@AutumnAlmanack

It is utter madness. Why can't we just stick to the old rule that pedestrians who want to cross the road find a pedestrian crossing?

Or make it like the USA, where you are ONLY allowed to cross at designated crossings and have to wait until the traffic stops at the lights. That is a sensible system.

Because a lot of people would be trapped walking round their little block as there aren't crossings everywhere.
Iggly · 31/12/2021 08:59

@AutumnAlmanack

It is utter madness. Why can't we just stick to the old rule that pedestrians who want to cross the road find a pedestrian crossing?

Or make it like the USA, where you are ONLY allowed to cross at designated crossings and have to wait until the traffic stops at the lights. That is a sensible system.

On my street there is only one crossing point. So using your logic, I’d have to walk half a mile to cross the road on certain journeys Hmm