Page 15 | Were we wrong to cross the road in this way?

UndertheCedartree · 2022-06-30T10:55:08+00:00

I was taking my DD to school this morning. There is a junction where we need to cross over the road in front then cross over the road to the left. Lots of families including us cross diagonally as it is quicker than crossing both separately. We were late this morning so there were no other families around. We were crossing the junction and a few seconds before we got onto the pavement a car sounds it's horn loudly at us (scaring poor DD) then came round the corner and started shouting and pointing at us. I just ignored the driver as they were clearly very angry so no point in trying to have a civil conversation. I always thought if a pedestrian was crossing a road then a car needs to give way to them. Or are we wrong to cross diagonally?

Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 10:51

HELLITHURT · 01/07/2022 09:41

Good to see you back @UndertheCedartree , where did you cross today?

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Good morning - I crossed each road separately so no beeping today!

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 10:54

Samcro · 01/07/2022 09:50

just seen someone cross in the way you described OP. was very dangerous as they seemed to appear from nowhere. by the time they crossed the lights had changed. also where this happened there are lights for bikes. they change before the ones for other trafic. so was a near miss.
very stupid way to cross a road

I really didn't realise that a pedestrian would seem to appear from nowhere. I thought a driver would be able to see the whole junction.

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 10:57

tomatopsste · 01/07/2022 09:57

@UndertheCedartree a bit creepy tracking your bed time? It was a post three under mine?

But yeah I do think it's very fucking weird posting into the small hours about this!

You need to get some more interests in your life!

But you're doing the same! The difference is this is my life but you're doing it about a stranger's life! I know which I think is weirder. I do get quite intense about things which is because I'm autistic. Just because people do/think about things differently it doesn't mean we are wierd.

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 11:01

Pixiedust1234 · 01/07/2022 10:23

Can you stop with the twisting of words? You were wrong. That's it.

You said MOST of the time you are on the crossing. You should be on the crossing ALL THE TIME. Thats how crossings work safely. If you walked diagonally, even for a few feet, then you are NOT on the crossing.

When on the official crossing the lights will be in front of you. That is how crossings work safely. There will be no need to look out of the corner of your eye...unless you were not on the official crossing.

You see how this works? Official crossings are designed to be safe, providing you use them properly. You did not. You put yourself and your child in a dangerous situation. I would be annoyed (as both a driver and as a pedestrian) if an adult puts their child in a dangerous position because they were too lazy to use an official crossing properly (you say habit. Bad habits are usually formed through laziness). Btw, horns are designed to be loud. Its part of their functionality.

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I'm sorry but you are wrong. When on a crossing facing forwards the lights aren't facing you. The lights face the drivers. The green man is on a pole to the side of the pavement.

Drivers are perfectly to change the volume and length of the horn sound. It's obvious to everyone the difference between a warning hoot and an aggressive sounding of the horn.

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tomatopsste · 01/07/2022 11:11

@UndertheCedartree I think 142 posts is weird, it's like you've nothing to do? Do you have nothing else going on?

I don't think I'm at 142 posts 🤔?

ivykaty44 · 01/07/2022 13:03

Good morning - I crossed each road separately so no beeping today!

nothing like an entire thread to focus on the lazy good for nothing pedestrian and make sure they cross the road correctly- that’ll make the roads safer

the focus of this thread is why the roads are so dangerous, it’s a red herring and why partly the HC changed this year with the hierarchy implemented IMO

OnceAgainWithFeeling · 01/07/2022 14:50

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 11:01

I'm sorry but you are wrong. When on a crossing facing forwards the lights aren't facing you. The lights face the drivers. The green man is on a pole to the side of the pavement.

Drivers are perfectly to change the volume and length of the horn sound. It's obvious to everyone the difference between a warning hoot and an aggressive sounding of the horn.

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Car horns don’t have volume controls!

You can bip (short) or lean on the horn but the decibel level sounds the same.

(I’ve got dual tone sports horns on mine. Get in my way and you’d be jumping across the road, not strolling!)

ABBAsnumberonefan · 01/07/2022 14:57

ivykaty44 · 01/07/2022 13:03

Good morning - I crossed each road separately so no beeping today!

nothing like an entire thread to focus on the lazy good for nothing pedestrian and make sure they cross the road correctly- that’ll make the roads safer

the focus of this thread is why the roads are so dangerous, it’s a red herring and why partly the HC changed this year with the hierarchy implemented IMO

But in this case the crossing would have been safe if used correctly 🤷‍♀️ So it’s really not the point of the thread.

SofiaSoFar · 01/07/2022 15:29

ivykaty44 · 01/07/2022 13:03

Good morning - I crossed each road separately so no beeping today!

nothing like an entire thread to focus on the lazy good for nothing pedestrian and make sure they cross the road correctly- that’ll make the roads safer

the focus of this thread is why the roads are so dangerous, it’s a red herring and why partly the HC changed this year with the hierarchy implemented IMO

The focus of this thread is why roads are so dangerous...

Is it?

The OP asked whether she was wrong to cross the road in the manner she did.

HELLITHURT · 01/07/2022 15:32

ivykaty44 · 01/07/2022 13:03

Good morning - I crossed each road separately so no beeping today!

nothing like an entire thread to focus on the lazy good for nothing pedestrian and make sure they cross the road correctly- that’ll make the roads safer

the focus of this thread is why the roads are so dangerous, it’s a red herring and why partly the HC changed this year with the hierarchy implemented IMO

I thought the focus of this thread, which wasn't started by you, was the question in the title?

Which to remind you is "were we wrong to cross the road like this"

Maybe start your own thread about road danger?

ivykaty44 · 01/07/2022 15:41

The focus of this thread is why roads are so dangerous...

neither of you have understood what is written

the focus is the pedestrian

Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 15:50

HELLITHURT · 01/07/2022 10:42

Well then if you can't pick up your pace, cross sensibly and within the guidelines?

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I think that's already been said!

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 15:54

Unexpecteddrivinginstructor · 01/07/2022 10:46

People aren't saying not to teach your children explicitly about road safety, but rather it is an ongoing process you should instruct them, telling them that some adults cross unsafely but they need to always follow the guidelines. It is though also important to show them by always crossing safely, following the rules yourself when you are with them.

It sounds as if it is worth writing to the council and suggesting redesignating it as a diagonal crossing as well as going across each individual road and increasing the timing if that is how many people use it.

Thank you for explaining that. Sometimes I do have to cross without a crossing.

That is a good idea to write to the council as, as you say, it is already used as a diagonal crossing. So if it was designated then I assume it would mean drivers would know to look if people were walking that way.

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 15:59

JauntyJinty · 01/07/2022 10:51

You shouldn't cross diagonaly, but doing some kind of half and half diagonally to half way across one of the crossings is even worse.

Just to be clear I don't belive you actually did that because taking half a shortcut makes no sense! I think you were trying to mitigate what you already admitted to but actually just made it worse.

Your question was "Were we wrong to cross the road in this way?" and the answer is yes you were.

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I've already been given that answer many times. It doesn't matter if you don't believe something, it doesn't stop it being true. Think about if you are walking across a crossing with lots of others, many going straight on. You can't just barge people out the way.

If crossing diagonally is dangerous but walking across the crossings isn't then how is walking on the crossing more and only crossing diagonally on a short bit make it worse? That just makes no sense.

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 16:08

tomatopsste · 01/07/2022 11:11

@UndertheCedartree I think 142 posts is weird, it's like you've nothing to do? Do you have nothing else going on?

I don't think I'm at 142 posts 🤔?

At least I didn't ask the same question 4 times and get in a huff that the OP was ignoring me! Obviously I had other things to do as I couldn't answer as quickly as you wanted. All the while you're sitting on a thread posting every few minutes! I also explained why I posted so much. Calling my behaviour weird because I'm autistic isn't nice. I might be different to you but it doesn't make me weird.

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JauntyJinty · 01/07/2022 16:10

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 15:59

I've already been given that answer many times. It doesn't matter if you don't believe something, it doesn't stop it being true. Think about if you are walking across a crossing with lots of others, many going straight on. You can't just barge people out the way.

If crossing diagonally is dangerous but walking across the crossings isn't then how is walking on the crossing more and only crossing diagonally on a short bit make it worse? That just makes no sense.

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Were there lots of others? not what you said earlier

Using crossings - shortest route for each cross but requires 2 crossings
diagonaly - shortest overall route
route you've described - maximises the time that you are in the road and makes no sense

Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 16:18

ivykaty44 · 01/07/2022 13:03

Good morning - I crossed each road separately so no beeping today!

nothing like an entire thread to focus on the lazy good for nothing pedestrian and make sure they cross the road correctly- that’ll make the roads safer

the focus of this thread is why the roads are so dangerous, it’s a red herring and why partly the HC changed this year with the hierarchy implemented IMO

It seems whatever I did or didn't do was wrong anyway. I crossed diagonally? Ah, you're in the wrong you should have used the crossing! I crossed on the crossing? Ah, you're in the wrong you should have crossed diagonally! I hurried across the road? Ah, you're in the wrong you should have walked normally. I walked normally? Ah, you're in the wrong you should have hurried! I walked over the crossing and therefore could only see the lights out the corner of my eye? Ah, you're in the wrong you should have been facing the lights! I walked over diagonally and therefore could see the lights? Ah, you're in the wrong...ad infinitum!

I agree that the roads are dangerous. In this situation the driver did the far more dangerous thing by driving while shouting and pointing.

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 16:28

OnceAgainWithFeeling · 01/07/2022 14:50

Car horns don’t have volume controls!

You can bip (short) or lean on the horn but the decibel level sounds the same.

(I’ve got dual tone sports horns on mine. Get in my way and you’d be jumping across the road, not strolling!)

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Ok, the decibel level seems louder when a driver uses it aggressively. It's interesting how many drivers have happily posted how they use their horn illegally. It seems rules don't apply to some drivers. You'd be happy to make a disabled pedestrian 'jump' across the road if they 'got in your way' by still crossing the road when the lights change? This is the same nasty aggressive behaviour the driver yesterday displayed.

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 16:33

ABBAsnumberonefan · 01/07/2022 14:57

But in this case the crossing would have been safe if used correctly 🤷‍♀️ So it’s really not the point of the thread.

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Not necessarily. Plenty of people have described what they would do if a pedestrian was still crossing (and had stayed on one crossing without going over to the other) when the lights changed. The driver could have caused an accident with their behaviour much more than we could have 'appearing out of nowhere' on a crossing while the cars were stationary.

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tomatopsste · 01/07/2022 16:39

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 16:44

JauntyJinty · 01/07/2022 16:10

Were there lots of others? not what you said earlier

Using crossings - shortest route for each cross but requires 2 crossings
diagonaly - shortest overall route
route you've described - maximises the time that you are in the road and makes no sense

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I explained that this is a route we take everyday. Usually there are lots of others walking to school. Even though there weren't lots of others this time I still took our habitual route. I explained we were on our own because I thought it might make a difference to the driver in that they can't miss a crowd of people but weren't as aware of just 2 people. Ime, it often seems the less of you there are the more invisible you are to drivers. I suppose the driver wouldn't have behaved like that in front of lots of people but was emboldened as it was just us.

I honestly find it so hard to believe that taking a couple of seconds longer to cross a road is so dangerous. I think that is the point @ivykaty44 is making. It shouldn't be so terribly dangerous to cross a road.

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Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 16:51

This reply has been deleted

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Just leave me alone now. I did find it a bit creepy a stranger commenting on what time I went to bed. Yes, I've had to repeat myself as so many posters have made up their own fantasy of what happened. Why should I just agree with their stories when of course I'm the only person that actually knows what happened! I have already told you clearly that the behaviour you are calling 'weird' is because of my autism. You have again repeated this. So yes, you have called me weird because of my autism on more than one occasion. If that's all you can contribute to this thread then perhaps hide it yourself?

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HELLITHURT · 01/07/2022 16:54

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 16:51

Just leave me alone now. I did find it a bit creepy a stranger commenting on what time I went to bed. Yes, I've had to repeat myself as so many posters have made up their own fantasy of what happened. Why should I just agree with their stories when of course I'm the only person that actually knows what happened! I have already told you clearly that the behaviour you are calling 'weird' is because of my autism. You have again repeated this. So yes, you have called me weird because of my autism on more than one occasion. If that's all you can contribute to this thread then perhaps hide it yourself?

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Its a public forum people will comment, it MN think they've broken rules, they will delete.

In all honesty you cannot moderate the comments, if you don't like it, then don't post.

It is you that consistently argues with people.

Momicrone · 01/07/2022 16:59

Given the response to the op, the focus of this thread is indeed how dangerous roads are for the lowly vulnerable pedestrian - because impatient car drivers can't wait 2 seconds before beeping horns and angrily airing their self righteous anger, just slow down and don't be a dick.

Original poster

UndertheCedartree · 01/07/2022 17:06

HELLITHURT · 01/07/2022 16:54

Its a public forum people will comment, it MN think they've broken rules, they will delete.

In all honesty you cannot moderate the comments, if you don't like it, then don't post.

It is you that consistently argues with people.

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I know and I can comment too. I have reported the poster for keep calling me weird because of being autistic. Everyone is able to do that, they shouldn't just be forced to not post because people will pick on them. Of course posters can post whatever they like but I find that posters who derail a thread by doing things like demand their question is answered now and before other comments, commenting on what time a poster went to bed, commenting on how much someone has posted (ironic as they were so outraged at their post not being immediately answered but find it 'weird' if I reply to other posters) just makes the thread tedious as do those who keep repeating the same thing. Unfortunately, the interesting posts have been drowned out by a lot of this nonsense. And if you ignore it people get annoyed you didn't respond to them!

But, I'm enjoying reading all the interesting and informative posts. I have spoken to the council who have said that the issue of if this road should be given a diagonal crossing has already been raised. The fact it is used like that means it is more likely to become official and the time the green man is on will be extended. Hopefully we will get a decision soon but it sounds positive.

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