To feel sad at how much worse life is for pedestrians than it was ten years ago

[Fragmentedbrain]

Cars (especially Ubers for some reason?!) no longer reliably stop

Consequences for drivers who hit a pedestrian are minor - you won't necessarily go to jail "the first time" you kill someone and you'll have your licence back within a decade (why not banned for life???)

Roadworks used to prioritise keeping a pedestrian walkway but now it's common for one side of the pavement just to be abruptly cut off, forcing a walk across the road through traffic

And don't even get me started on bicycles on the pavement, "shared spaces" (ie spaces for bullies to race at speed on their bikes while those on foot are expected to scatter). I was actually planning a holiday to Japan until a colleague told me how unsafe the pavements have become in the last few years because of this.

It's the world over as far as I can see (although if you live in an exception could you let me know so I can visit please??) and it just feels like a big part of the dehumanisation of public life and spaces :(

Same - it's so stressful. And if you ever complain it's "WHAT ABOUT CARS". I don't drive. I agree that cars should also be responsible but they don't tend to mount the pavement.

Drivers don't seem to appreciate that they can stamp on the brakes as hard as they like, while steering if necessary, and stop quickly and safely, from almost any speed. Cyclists trying the same thing will go sailing over the handlebars.

It’s so true. Our local station has decided to build a giant bike storage thing - it’s 3 storeys high and bigger than a house. To do this they’ve had to shut one of the pedestrian entrances which means everyone coming to the station from one direction has to walk about 5 minutes longer. It’s also blocked the disabled parking bays so those are closed too. I’ve been trying to get an answer as to when they will reopen the pedestrian entrance and all I get is comments not understanding why I’m not fawning over the new bike thing. I’ve had to escalate to the station manager and the company that runs it because no one has the answer.

I have mobility problems so the extra distance is a right pain. No one cares about the pedestrians or the disabled parking. The bike lobby is so strong they trump the rights of both!

Councils saving money by turning streetlights down and off.

It's the one occasion I've nearly lost my rag with our county council. I pointed out they're trying to promote active travel and we're apparently in a "climate emergency", but they make it less safe for pedestrians and increase car use after dark.
I now wear a retina blinding headtorch from November to March. It feels so bloody unsafe even on the main footpath routes now and puts me off going to later gym classes. I just make sure I'm home by 7pm at the latest. (This issues makes me so angry as I'm a huge walker).

Please explain HOW you are actually meant to do that.

And drivers need to remember that pedestrians crossing side roads, openings or driveways have priority and they wait until they've crossed (and if you aren't going to wait, don't dawdle for ages either - turn in and go).

Yes. I notice some drivers like to go and speed through residential areas and ignore that they are going through an area where there will be pedestrians, cyclists, and residents coming from anywhere and everywhere. We have three schools and two day cares within less than a mile of each other all connected on a major road and drivers will speed through when children are on their way to school. There’s also a lot of buses and taxis taking children to school local and further (several for SEN) and drivers will honk if they dare have to wait 10 seconds for a child to be boarded and secured.

Cyclists are not that much better and I really don’t understand the ones that think people have eyes in the back of their head and assume you know they are there and choose not to ring a bell or say something to let people know they are there.

People say "WHAT ABOUT CARS", because cars are, by far, the main source of danger to pedestrians. Are some cyclists a nuisance to pedestrians? Undoubtedly. Are cyclists killing and injuring tens of thousands of pedestrians every year, as cars and other motor vehicles do? No, only a very small fraction of that figure.

Also just trying to walk along the street on bin day when the pavements are blocked off by both bins and cars. Trying to navigate with a buggy was awful, it must be pointless for people with wheelchairs or other mobility aids.

The city centre being overrun with tables and chairs on pavements with no thought for pedestrians or, again, people with prams, wheelchairs or mobility aids.

Councils not clearing drains, resulting in massive pools of water at crossings which also cover the tactile pacing.

On the plus side there are far more pedestrian only streets than there used to be! Also, the introduction of ULEZ and other low emissions zones, combined with a sharp fall in the number of diesel vehicles and rise in EVs, means that the air quality in general is much much better. I really notice when a smelly diesel drives by…only 10 years ago cities were clogged with diesel taxis, busses, cars and vans. But there are too many poorly ridden scooters, especially electric ones, and bikes for my liking

I chose my location carefully.

My ideal is a small market town with a bypass, plentiful double yellow lines and aggressive parking wardens 😁

I've also lost it about the blocked drains. I really did start sending shitty messages when the issue had been reported endless times and never dealt with over months. Kids were being splashed in buggies and old people who couldn't run past the flooded area were getting wet. This is a town centre too. The rest of us knew to wait for a break in traffic and sprint. It took three fucking years for it to be unblocked, I reported it over 15 times. I was muttering about collecting a bucket of the water, going to the County council head office and lobbing it over the chief execs desk to see how he liked it.

I think it's all contracted out these days so no one in authority actually uses those footpaths.

I'm not saying this to be snarky, I genuinely mean it: if you find it stressful or distracting to drive when there's a cyclist and still maintain all the other aspects of safe driving then you are not safe to drive at all. Driving inherently means needing to be aware of, anticipate and account for other road users. If you can't do it it's you not them who needs to be off the road.

This is a really common misconception. Your child is much more exposed to toxic fumes in a car than on a bike (as are you): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/13/cyclists-exposed-to-less-air-pollution-than-drivers-on-congested-routes-study

Part of the problem with car-culture is that people really overestimate how safe they are in their cars - people think they're in a little bubble.

The biggest issue is those bloody e scooters and delivery riders on e bikes. Lethal.

I think many drivers are not aware of pedestrians ever having right iof way. Also people drive on narrow pavement less roads as though it’s inconceivable that pedestrians may need to use them.

Every single day I think things are planned and designed by people who do not use them, ever.

Not driving eliminates 100% of car-caused deaths and injuries.

Walk, cycle, or use public transport.

Pavements not being well-maintained and buses being late etc aren't reasons to drive (nor is disability; disabled people suffer first and worst from the issues driving causes).

They are reasons to fix the pavements and run more buses (and make active travel truly accessible). Which nobody will bother doing if people keep driving, and society keeps prioritising drivers.

But the vast majority of particulate pollution comes from tyre and brake dust, not the exhausts (and EVs still have tyres and brakes). So it might smell less, but it's not any healthier.

EVs have regenerative braking, so they produce much less brake dust.

As a pedestrian, especially one with a toddler it really annoys me how hard it is to just be able to walk nicely everywhere! I had to grab my 3 year old a few days ago ans pull him into the road as a teen on an electric scooter was speeding straight at him on the path, when he was in a buggy we were hit by 2 scooters and a bike on separate occasions because people speed round blind corners on paths!

It also bugged me when he was in a buggy when people parked cars so close to walls/fences/lampposts that we had to divert out into busy roads because we couldn't use the path 🫠

The missing paths are fun too! There have been a few times I've taken him out to places via public transport then realised we have to walk down a road where a path just ends, now if I plan a trip somewhere I have to go on Google maps and check street views to check there are paths all the way to the attraction

And don't get me started on our favourite path game "dodge the dog 💩" that we play every day on the nursery run!

They don't necessarily produce less overall. Heavier ones produce the same or more than fossil fuelled cars. Lighter ones may produce less (but still significant quantities). There is no safe level of air pollution (but some people are more affected by it than others, of course).

And they still take up public space (driving, parking, and main roads carving up communities), risk running people over, trash the planet via their production, fuel, and maintenance, etc. Just get rid of private cars entirely.

The only vehicles that should be routinely on the road are bikes, (electric) buses, trams, and emergency service vehicles. Many work vehicles could also be eliminated, or replaced with bikes of various kinds.

Your colleague is talking garbage about Japan (deliberately winding you up?). We went last year and this is not an issue in the slightest.

Yes it is an issue in London with both cyclists and scooters.

In the area of London where I work, cyclists have completely taken over and it’s so dangerous and unpleasant walking around there now.

The council is really bigging themselves up on how they’re reducing car traffic and pollution, with no thought to what the msssive increase in cyclist traffic and poorly planned cycle lanes has done to the everyday experience of pedestrians.

With NO exaggerating, I am probably almost run into by a cyclist running a red light / coming up on to the pavement/riding way too fast for the road conditions most days, sometimes multiple times a day. Hordes of very fast cyclists commuting, Deliveroo cyclists, kids on rented bikes etc - it’s completely bonkers. I have no idea how old people or disabled people manage. I’m fit and fast on my feet and I find it a nightmare.

We also have those ridiculous cycle lanes that run between the pavement and road at several very busy junctions and a huge roundabout. Unless you know the area very well, it’s not clear that they are cycle lanes and I’ve lost count of how many near misses I’ve seen with people stepping out. Dangerous to the cyclists, too.

Don't walk out in front of cars. Quits simple really.

It used to be called common sense. Now, it seems to be that people (including you OP) think THEIR safety is SOMEONE ELSES responsibility.

Switch on.
Open your eyes.
Look before you step onto the road.

One can’t deny that the air quality in our cities has improved massively over the last 10 or 20 years, and that’s in no small part because of the reduction in emissions from diesels, and in particular the effective banning of pre Euro 6 vehicles from our streets. It’s made them far more pleasant to be in, and so I stick by my statement. I’d question your observation on brakes and tyres as well, since much of the time EVs are using regen. Brake pads last up to 4 times as long on an EV for a start…and EU study showed brake dust emissions are 83% less in an EV.

https://ifs.org.uk/news/air-pollution-england-reaches-20-year-low-inequalities-persist