pedestrian crossings

[tummytime]

AIBU to think that the pedestrian phase on a pelicaqn crossing should be long enough for elderly people or young children to be able to cross the road?

I live near a busy road. Traffic lights control the junction with 2 side roads turning onto the main road. There is a ped phase at the lights and then the two side roads have the green light. You can't turn out of the side road in a car and see people on the crossing until you're nearly on top of them because of houses etc.

I was crossing the road today - DCs in pushchair so no personal axe to grind and an elderly lady was crossing the road on the green man phase. The green man had gone by the time she had got to the middle of the road and she had to stand in the middle of traffic waiting for another cycle because she couldn't have got the whole way across before the lights changed.

The Council has been told about the lights and their response was to send someone out to check timings - result absolutely fine, phases don't need to be lengthened. The person from the Council was a healthy 22 yo bloke who actually recommended they could be shorter.

So AIBU to think that pedestrian phases on pelican crossings should be long enough for elderly and disabled people to get across - particularly where it would be difficult for traffic to stop in time if turning out.

YANBU. It's a bugbear of mine - some of the timings are insanely short. You couldn't do it with a small child/toddler, and there's no way the elderly can leg it across the road in time.

Can you try your local councillor?

Did the cars not stop for her even though their light was on green? I would if I saw someone in middle of road. Or was there one of those little middle of the road stopping points/little pavement things (don't know what they're called) for her to stand on?

Sorry, distracted by DS part way through. Please imagine with correct spelling and grammar.

That's pretty bad. The ones near where I used to live were always long enough for old folk to get across - in fact, I did (when in a car) sometimes think they were too long, but maybe we just had lots of sprightly OAPs there because they seemed to have crossed and been 10m up the road before the lights changed.

Here though (Oz) - another story. I can barely make it across with DS in a pushchair - absolutely no way I could do it with him walking.

YANBU - I can't stand those old Pelican crossings where the green man comes on for about 5 seconds and then starts flashing. Most car drivers seem to think that the flashing amber light is their signal to set off again whether you have made it safely onto the other side or not.

Luckily most of the crossing around here have been changed to the Puffin ones - maybe, OP, you could request one of those?

I am hoping that the old lady was on an island in the middle of the road and not just standing on the white lines?

Cupofcoffee: there is a little concrete area with the repeater light stuck in it and she was clinging onto it. I think she could have carried on and expected people to stop but there are quite often twats drivers who charge out of the side roads and wouldn't be able to stop in time.

The local councillor is aware of the problem but it is suc a busy main road the main objective is to keep traffic moving. I think that perhaps means that the crossing is even more needed...

YANBU.

Just a couple of weeks ago a 70yr old woman in my town was knocked over and killed due to trying to cross a road. She didn't get across in time but instead of waiting for her the truck just went.

It's really sad. Sometimes even I can't get across in time on my own and I'm 23 and you alway's see people with pushchairs and ederly peopple having to wait in the middle of the road for the next crossing cycle.

YADNBU - some of the timings around here are stupidly short, I can barely get across in the 'allotted' time myself and I am (reasonably - 28 weeks preg) able-bodied, young(ish) and fit! You have to dart across the moment the green man comes on and shut your eyes halfway to the other side when it disappears after about 2 seconds and the traffic starts to loom at you. It's ridiculous.

YANBU. Our light phases have all just been shortened in the last day or so.

DD was TERRIFIED today when the cars all started moving while we were still on the road. They were far enough away to be safe, just, but not if she had fallen or dropped something or skipped backward or any of things that small and unpredictable children do.

And yes, we were still on the flashing man so by rights they should have waited until we were across. But did they? No sirree they did not.

I saw similar happen to a very old and frail man near ours the other day. The button was on the shop side of a wide pavement, and the timings were so short her had only got a few steps into the road with his zimmer before the lights changed. The traffic on the other side started moving on yellow despite being able to see what was happening, which made me really cross. Luckily we were at the lights on his side, so I got out and went and pressed the button again then walked him across. Even then the traffic tried to start moving as we were getting onto the other side!

Luckily the traffic behind us was sympathetic and no beeps () but it really upset me. Being full of prgnancy hormones actually made me shed a tear...soppy cow.

But OP, YANBU. The lights should be a bit longer and other people should be more patient and considerate. We'll all be old one day!