Motorists shouldn't be in such a hurry!!

[UndertheCedartree]

Why are many car users always in such a hurry?

I was crossing a road on a green man today and wasn't quite across when the lights turned to green. The car had to wait an extra 10 seconds! She started beeping me and then shouting and swearing at me.

And this isn't the first time I've had similar experiences.

Roads are for vehicles. Footpaths are for pedestrians. If you must cross the road, then you should be mindful of traffic. It doesn't matter what the highway code says. Common sense should tell you that you don't walk in front of vehicles

The end of roads is considered to be a continuation of the pavement. You are crossing across the pedestrians' path, so you wait.

Common sense doesn't come into it - as a driver you obey the law and keep your two tonne metal box under control.

Completely agree.

I live rurally now and we pretty much only have zebra crossings, however I was in a bigger city last week and was actually shocked how little time is given at 'green man' type crossings, especially when it's across wide roads with at least two lanes of traffic in either direction
I find quite the opposite in my City. I can sit an watch someone with a zimmer frame shuffle across, and then still have to wait a considerable time after they have got to the pavement. When I'm walking now, I try and avoid pressing the pelican crossing buttons as I know what a ridiculous hold up it causes.

OP - the driver shouldn't have beeped at you, in an ideal world, but the road lights don't go green for some time after the green man has finished, so it does suggest that you didn't start crossing when it was your turn to do so.
Life would be a lot easier, if everyone followed the rules.

The only rule that needed followed here applied to the car though

I understand that if vehicles are potentially dangerous then we shouldn't engineer situations where people are in the same space as those vehicles. It's why we don't let people walk down railway lines.

Pedestrians and cyclists DO NOT belong on the roads.

Roads are for vehicles.

Pavements are for pedestrians.

Cycle tracks are for cyclists.

It's just the arrogance of some people who think they have the right to obstruct others.

The OP said that they took 10 seconds to finish crossing the road AFTER the lights turned green for the vehicles. That's just taking the piss and being obstructive because of their ego.

I am referring to common sense, not the highway code.

@Twyford What was the speed limit?

National Speed limit, so 60mph on single carriageway.

Under such circumstances I was irritated by the sheer incompetence of a driver who had supposedly passed a test, but thought it was fine to hoot at anyone she didn't like.

And after she delayed us, of course I was in a hurry. We'd left with plenty of time, but getting stuck behind her could have cost us a lot of money.

I think it’s because everyone has to commute more now. People being on the road for over an hour each way, either side of a long day at work is bound to make people stressed. Traffic is awful too (I’m in a northern city and half the roads in and out have been dug up for half a year). So people running late to picking up their kids or just looking forward to getting home and having a cup of tea makes them impatient because they have less and less time to themselves.

10 seconds isn’t a lot and I there’s no excuse for the abuse but combine that with being stuck on the motorway in traffic, then sat at temporary traffic lights for ages, then your almost home and having to sit with a green light with some woman slowly walking in front of your car…

You don't have to cross the minute the green man appears, just like drivers don't have to go the minute the green light appears.

Our pelican crossings are definitely of the short kind. I was at the crossing when it went green but there were people in front of me so didn't cross immediately.

@UsingChangeofName obviously we can only go on our own experience - I mentioned the city we were in most recently but tbh it's the same in other cities/urban areas that I have been in over the last 5 or so years - all giving less time to cross than I remember.

As I said, if you are unable to use the roads safely, then you need to consider using transport.

Your ego does not give you the right to deliberately obstruct motorists.

As they should. My instructor got me to 60 as quickly as possible on the lanes where I learned. Driving too slow for no reason is aLao unsafe.

Onefinemess, cars have been obstructing everyone else for the last 50 years, dominating the roads, choking our highways, the arrogance and entitlement of drivers is astonishing

Please read the thread. I corrected it a long time ago to a few seconds.

What about Shared Space? Where cars and pedestrians share? I guess that would blow your mind?

Pedestrians have a right to be able to cross roads as they can train tracks at crossings. Surely that's not hard to understand?

And no I don't have an ego about crossing roads!! 😂

If you started crossing on the green man the driver had no right to get rattled. It's astounding how few drivers seem to be aware of the latest revisions to the Highway Code

I am an experienced driver (18 years now) and I do think that many drivers are far more impatient than they used to be! I'm not old BTW- only 36, but I have definitely noticed it.

I always drive at the speed limit (allowing for inaccuracies in the speedometer) and appropriately for the conditions. I indicate appropriately and don't tailgate. Equally, I don't drive slowly so that others are held up unnecessarily. However, despite this, so many people drive up your backside and an odd one goes screaming around you. Heaven for bid you should need a second or two at an unfamiliar junction to get your bearings!

I sympathise with you crossing. The driver sounds rude and impatient. Some green man crossings do change very quickly! I am able bodied so manage fine but my aunt uses a walking stick and is slower on her feet so will definitely take longer. She doesn't do it on purpose to be annoying, she just can't go quickly so I would hope people might have a little patience.

I'll stick to following the guidance written by experts, not by entitled petrolheads like you. I only have to go by your postings on here to see that you are a collision (not an accident) waiting to happen.

As I said, ego is what gets people injured.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Or else there you'll be, lying on the roadside, with a broken spine. But obviously the "fact" that you were "right" will be of great comfort to you as you live out your days with severe injuries, all because your ego just wouldn't let you wait for the traffic to pass.

There's some shocking ableism on this thread.

I'm disabled, my walking is slow. I start crossing on the green man and on a bad day I could definitely keep the drivers back as I won't be across by the time the lights change.

What am I expected to do?

I get beeped at and revved at on a regular basis and it's horrible.

Onefinemess, so you don't want cyclists on the roads either? Would you prefer me to drive to work and add to your traffic?

What do you suggest I do @onefinemess ? I can't always cross in the time the green man gives. Does that mean it's ok to run me over?

Squishedstormtrooper, I've never commuted for that long, and don't ever intend to and 10 seconds extra with your family is really no excuse

What about where there are no pavements or cycle lanes? Like the majority of rural roads.

You actually couldn't be more wrong

The amount of times I've almost been hit whilst crossing on a green man is quite terrifying, especially as I'm usually with young DC. 😡😡

No one should be harassing pedestrians.

It's really simple, the most easily squished something is, the more tolerance is required towards sharing space with it regardless of how it's behaving. Random creatures, pedestrians, horses, bicycles, e-scooters, deliveroo scooters, motorbikes, all need space and tolerance regardless. The bigger and heavier the vehicle I'm driving, the squishier other things potentially get.

I may mutter all sorts under my breathe, but common sense means letting pedestrians over including when they're not at crossings and stuck in the road.

That attitude however is born from I have a vehicle, I can always make up the time. It used to work out, it no longer does.

I've just been caught doing 25 in a 20 zone in London and have been reflecting on why I didn't spot the camera, because I know it's there.

One of the reasons is that the attempt to get us all to drive at 20mph, along with reducing parking, LTN's making so much one way, false bottle necks on major routes creating one car lane only, etc has had a really big impact on how long every journey takes and we are often running out of time no matter when we start out.
I'm disabled unable to access public transport, but a long time international driver.
The day I got caught, I'd been blindsided by a non working disabled lift, treated poorly for being late because of it, then made to leave via a rear exit that made it really hard to get back to my vehicle. I took it.
Knock on effect hit the next port of call where it was impossible to park anywhere near, thanks to new measures. Further delayed and in pain after that one, but took it.
En route to the next one, three men in a van decided I must be a particular religion and needed harassing by cutting me up and crawling along shouting abuse. No choice but to take it.
Trying to get to next appointment now nearly two hours of schedule, I failed to notice I'd fallen into the same speed as the car ahead of me, because I was just trying to get where I needed to be without being had any further go at.
I'd swapped concentrating on driving, for concentrating on surviving.

So much stress. London's been made inefficient and miserable to travel in for political gain, not for the people. People are now turning on each other.