to find the new Highway Code rules intimidating?

[Coffeeholix]

Just to be clear, I’m a pretty confident person and not necessarily easily intimidated, but when out walking my dog I prefer to cross the road in my own time. I have trained my dog to sit and wait before crossing a road and have never liked cars stopping and waving us across unless there’s an island in the middle so I don’t have to worry about cars coming the other way not stopping. I like to cross in my own time.

With the new rules, I feel harassed. For example, there is a road I have to cross which is by a mini roundabout. So the cars coming off the roundabout should stop if I’m waiting. However, the road bends round a little and cars coming towards the roundabout often don’t see me until the last minute and aren’t obliged to stop and let me cross anyway. Sometimes I get the impression cars heading into my road, not yet crossed the roundabout, are sitting waiting for me to cross before they even reach my road, other times cars stop really abruptly and wait for me to cross but they aren’t stopping from the other direction.

It just creates confusion and stress and the car waiting for me to cross is probably swearing under their breath, along with traffic behind them, because I’m not moving fast enough. I hate keeping people waiting.

Anyway, sorry this is a slightly long post but does anyone else feel uncomfortable about these new rules? Or is it just me?

I need to read up these rules. I thought it was about giving bikes right of way? Does it also give pedestrians waiting to cross right of way? I agree I hate drivers stopping to let us cross. I always worry they will do it when my kids are walking to school and they will get themselves confused and cross at an unsafe time.

I'm not comfortable trusting the awareness of most drivers to pedestrians or other non engine car users around them. I realise the rules are there to increase generally blinkered car drivers - but I'm not keen on trusting the rules. But it won't be effective with anyone but the learners under the new rules unless drivers are made to retest and keep their skills up to date.

@Kizty I think these new rules came in a few weeks ago, separately to the rules re. bikes. There was very little awareness at the time so lots of drivers are probably unaware of it, as @3scape says, only new drivers and those learning now will know much about it, unless you happened to read about it.

They’re stupid. Obviously as it was previously - if a pedestrian is on the road first the driver should stop and let them cross - makes sense. But now with drivers stopping to let, or even beckon, people cross it actually makes it more dangerous for pedestrians and drivers.

Yeah, I don't like cars stopping for me either. I'd rather trust my judgment than theirs.

So many threads about these new rules. It's all very odd.

I'm sure I can't be the only one who's gone on my (walking) commute as normal and not had a crisis of confidence.

The rules are there to encourage drivers to have more awareness towards pedestrians. That's it. No one is forcing you to cross the road if you don't want to.

And guide dogs are trained to wait until there is no traffic so if a car stops to allow a person with a guide dog to cross, the dog won’t move until car has passed.

Yes, it doesn't make practical sense. You have right of way over cars turning in, so they can't turn until you cross, but you have no right of way over cars already on your road, so you can't cross until they stop/pass. Bloody stupid idea!

I've just done my theory test not long before the new change. A lot of it was on about cyclists and how they have priority etc. But nothing was in there about pedestrians like is mentioned on here.

It even stated that you should not wave them across the road incase traffic at the other side doesn't stop and causes an accident.

Is this now the case? If so it's a bit stupid for the reason I just mentioned.

@WindyState

The rules are there to encourage drivers to have more awareness towards pedestrians. That's it. No one is forcing you to cross the road if you don't want to.

I do want to cross the road, just don’t want traffic to stop and wait for me. If I cross, I’m risking a car not seeing me from the other direction, if I don’t cross then the stopped driver is confused and put out and probably thinks I’m being “difficult”.

I just don’t see how this protects pedestrians.

Well if traffic stops and waits for you, you can always just stay on the pavement or wave them on. As I said, nobody is forcing you to cross. Who cares if the driver is "put out?"

It means that drivers are required to be watching for pedestrians on street corners as they turn into side roads. This is a good thing.

The new rules are ridiculous … I’m all for letting pedestrians across the road, but there are times that’s just not safe - and, like yourself, some pedestrians prefer to do as they feel safe/dog behaviour etc … I think the rules are just going to cause lots of confusion, lots of aggression 🤷🏻‍♀️

@TheChip

I've just done my theory test not long before the new change. A lot of it was on about cyclists and how they have priority etc. But nothing was in there about pedestrians like is mentioned on here.

It even stated that you should not wave them across the road incase traffic at the other side doesn't stop and causes an accident.

Is this now the case? If so it's a bit stupid for the reason I just mentioned.

It even stated that you should not wave them across the road incase traffic at the other side doesn't stop and causes an accident.

There is long-standing case law on this holding a drive who waved a pedestrian across a road was held partly to blame for the pedestrian's injuries when they were struck by another vehicle.

I'm a dog walker and I like to cross in my own time as well. It's going to be confusing for both pedestrians and motorists.

I wonder how assistance dogs are going to manage.

This is the rule:

"At a junction, drivers, motorcyclists, horse riders and cyclists should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning."

It's not confusing. Motorists just need to look out for pedestrians waiting to cross when they are turning into roads. This is not difficult. The driver would be slowing down (and following cars likewise) to make the turn. If a pedestrian doesn't want to cross they can remain where they are or wave the car on.

The amount of angst over this is absurd.

@WindyState

This is the rule:

"At a junction, drivers, motorcyclists, horse riders and cyclists should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning."

It's not confusing. Motorists just need to look out for pedestrians waiting to cross when they are turning into roads. This is not difficult. The driver would be slowing down (and following cars likewise) to make the turn. If a pedestrian doesn't want to cross they can remain where they are or wave the car on.

The amount of angst over this is absurd.

Thats not bad then. That's what was in the theory

@WindyState

This is the rule:

"At a junction, drivers, motorcyclists, horse riders and cyclists should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning."

It's not confusing. Motorists just need to look out for pedestrians waiting to cross when they are turning into roads. This is not difficult. The driver would be slowing down (and following cars likewise) to make the turn. If a pedestrian doesn't want to cross they can remain where they are or wave the car on.

The amount of angst over this is absurd.

Yes the written rule is clear, however in practice it’s not as straight forward. For one thing pedestrians do not want to be harassed by drivers who think they’re doing the right thing by stopping and waving them across only to get aggressive when the pedestrian does not cross. And yes I have seen this happen, and said driver has sped off in a huff.

For another thing, have children who walk to school on their own got enough confidence to ignore a waiting driver or is this going to panic them into crossing when a car is coming the other way? I’ve talked to my kids about this, but I’m not sure enough info has been put out there for other parents to do the same.

This is interesting. I was out running yesterday evening and stopped in the middle of a road on a traffic island as a car was coming. There was nothing behind it so I was happy to wait but he stopped for me. I hadn't thought that it was down to the new rules but maybe it was. I think that is misinterpreting them - if I am on a safe traffic island they don't have to stop especially if there is nothing behind them.

@WindyState

This is the rule:

"At a junction, drivers, motorcyclists, horse riders and cyclists should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning."

It's not confusing. Motorists just need to look out for pedestrians waiting to cross when they are turning into roads. This is not difficult. The driver would be slowing down (and following cars likewise) to make the turn. If a pedestrian doesn't want to cross they can remain where they are or wave the car on.

The amount of angst over this is absurd.

Yep, fully agree. People making a big deal out of nothing, If a pedestrian doesn't want to cross, then they can just stand back on the pavement rather than waiting at the edge - that's a pretty clear signal to traffic they're not ready to cross.

@WindyState

This is the rule:

"At a junction, drivers, motorcyclists, horse riders and cyclists should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning."

It's not confusing. Motorists just need to look out for pedestrians waiting to cross when they are turning into roads. This is not difficult. The driver would be slowing down (and following cars likewise) to make the turn. If a pedestrian doesn't want to cross they can remain where they are or wave the car on.

The amount of angst over this is absurd.

In theory anyway. Today I was crossing. I had started to cross and a car turned into the side road and had no intention of stopping. I actually had to step back towards the kerb.

With the new rules he should have stopped even if I hadn't started to cross let alone with me already being in the road.

I got a mouthful of abuse - which was nice....NOT.

Well yes. You will always get arseholes. No amount of rewriting the HC will change that.

In reality what people are going to do is pretty much carry on as normal. Pedestrians will cross if it's safe to do so and decent drivers will be looking out for pedestrians crossing or about to cross.

I’m a pedestrian and don’t like the rule. I’m partially sighted and find speed difficult to tell as well as seeing that a driver is waving me across the road. Even before the rules I’ve had at least one driver swear at me for not crossing (when the started again and were level with me).

I can see the rule is clear, but don’t think enough drivers are aware of it. Even if I am correct and have right of way I’ll come off much worse if I cross and a car or larger vehicle doesn’t stop.

Seems to me the rule has been out in place to protect all the people in their phones or with headphones in who step into the road without looking. I’ve always looked out for them anyway, you could always see in advance who wasn’t going to stop. I think there will be less accidents

I was wondering about this today, I go past a turn for a new housing estate that has a lot of foot traffic going over. The road it is off is NSL, so potentially you could have a car at an absolute standstill on a 60mph lane.