I'm not a driver: can people tell me how and why drivers end up in the middle of the pedestrian crossing when the green man turns on?

[redadmiral]

Just completely lost it with the guy who did this - mainly because in the rush for everyone to get around the car before the traffic starts again, my 4 year old DD fell over in the road. Was really the final straw - most of the time we just take our lives in our hands and squeeze and thread through the 6 lanes of traffic as fast as we can. Can anyone help me get inside the heads of people who do this (50% of motorists in Londodn I would say) so that I don't have to hate them so much?!! This isn't a rhetorical question, I'd really like to know?

I can only presume that their light is on green but their exit isn't clear so the move onto the crossing and are still sat there when the their lights turn to red and green man comes on.

I drive but walk a lot and the inconsideration of most motorists towards pedastrians utterly horrifies me.

I don't think you will hate them less but if they are driving in london then they are probably as stressed about getting from a-b as you are walking. they want to get through the lights incase they loose their space in the queue in front.

I guess it is every wo/man for her/himself attitude.

Point taken Jen, and when people used to say things like 'Take your life in your hands to cross the road' I thought they were being ridiculous. However, after several scary incidents, one being when the woman in the car in the middle of the crossing nearly reversed over my DD in the buggy because she was trying to create more space for those crossing in front of her, I really feel that my stress is greater than the motorists at this point.

My unofficial survey over the years says that it's mostly men doing this, by the way. Worst thing is if you make eye contact they wave you behind or in front of their car as if you are making a fuss about nothing.

I'm afraid I will have to disagree with you redadmiral - and this pains me to say this but here the worst drivers by far are the mums on school runs who drive like bats out of hell and show no consideration to any pedestrians or other drivers. Most of the men are surprisingly considerate!

Stupidity

The way some people drive on the car park near to school you wouldn't believe they were parents!

impatience. today has been one of the worst days i have ever encountered as a driver, had one near miss where i had to slam on the brake to avoid another car that just rushed out onto oncoming traffic. must be the full moon.

You're right southeastastra I encountered lots of speeding cars on the way home from work

i'm pleased to finally be home, didn't think i'd make it at one point

I think men (and women) are usually considerate. On other roads they'll often wave us across. It just seems to be the crossings - maybe they're in compete with others mode then.

I assume they are meant to stop at the line before the crossing if they can't make it fully across, even if the light are green? Is that enforceable?

Missed your posts Southeastastra. I'm kind of relieved to hear that today was bad. I was stressed already because we had had to move fast to get out of the way of a turning car while we were just walking along the pavement.
When DD2 fell over in the road just after I really lost it - banged on the car screaming like a banshee. Hope none of the other mums saw me .

hope your daughter (any you!) is okay now. i used to hate the traffic with a small child when i lived in london. i used to rant at the traffic all the time.

other mums would probably be cheering you on.

It doesn't just happen in London - the tossers who do this are rife. It is yet another indication of the contempt motorists seem to have for pedestrians.
I don't know if there is anything like this in your area but our council recently introduced something called 'Operation Crackdown' with a telephone number to call if you have seen dangerous/inconsiderate driving. They are really trying to clamp down on mobile phone use at the wheel but I discovered that you can report this type of dangerous driving too. I have put the number in my mobile and have finally used it yesterday. A lorry decided to turn left into the petrol station which I was walking past on the pavement where I had right of way. The driver had clearly misjudged how fast I was moving and I had to jump back to avoid being caught by the rear of the vehicle. I followed him onto the forecourt and politely asked him if he realised what he had done. Needless to say, all I got was abuse so I said I would report him which he just scoffed at. Well I did report him - it made me feel better to report it as the woman I spoke to was very sympathetic and said whilst the plice are unlikely to follow it up this time if he gets reported for anything else they will. It also builds up a pattern of what is going on. If all pedestrians reported the frankly dangerous behaviour of many motorists at crossings then we might get somewhere.
I hope you and your dd are ok now.

I am a driver but this really annoys me. If the road isn't clear the other side of the crossing I wait. Simple.

But maybe that is because I often use crossing with small children and am not an ignorant twunt

I think this can happen if a driver is in a slow-moving jam, pootling along at 5mph; a lot of drivers just stop paying attention to anything except the bumper of the car in front, and don't notice they're on a crossing until it's too late.

Not that that excuses it - I've had words with drivers who've done this when I've been out with the children.

POTC - your post made me laugh...

Yes, we are fine thanks. Think I was just surprised by how angry I got. DD1 was in tears too, though whether it was fear of my temper or embarrassment I don't know. Don't think she'd ever seen me that angry.

I think sometimes the drivers aren't aware of what they are doing, but that's a bit scary in itself. I think the sequence of lights doesn't help on our road, but I feel speaking to TFL about it will be an uphill struggle.

I read somewhere that instead of being driver-safety-conscious, the car manufactureres should put a spike where the steering-wheel is, a boxing glove instead of an air-bag, and big pillows on the bumpers. It would stop the immortal idiots from even thinking of going fast.

I used to bang on car bonnets and boots when squeezing a buggy past idiots who do this. I drive too - but this sort of thing is dead ignorant and inconsiderate driving.

As is ploughing forward through pedestrians as soon as the pelican crossing starts to flash.

I'm one of those people who has done this once or twice - not sure I should even be admitting this as you'll probably all hate me!

In my defence (and I know there isn't actually any), I have only ever done this at a particular crossing I know. I never do it at a new junction because I don't know how the traffic moves so think it safer to sit and wait, but there is a junction near me which I use every day where because of the way it is set up if you are turning right you'll never get round unless you sit on the crossing as it doesn't have a right filter and the lights change so quickly. But occasionally when doing this some idiot from the opposite side (usually in a white van!) comes flying across when the lights are orange or even aleady turned red, and then because of the way the lights are phased the traffic in the other direction starts immediately and it is actually safer to sit on the crossing and await the next set of lights than attempt to turn while traffic is roaring past.

Basically I think everybody - pedestrians and drivers - is just desperate to get to where they need to go and not really thinking of anyone else. When I am driving I am appalled at how a lot of pedestrians just step into the road without looking, or run across crossings when they have changed to red; I'm equally appalled as a pedestrian when I see some of the behaviour of drivers. And don't even get me started on cyclists (both as a pedestrian and a driver) most of whom do not seem to have lights and wear dark clothing and alternate between pavement and road as they see fit... And I often cycle so then fall into the camp of getting very very upset with drivers who have nearly knocked me off their bikes or pedestrians who ignore me and step in front of me...

I can understand your frustration and anger though, particularly with small children and a buggy. I'll be joining you on that one in March , so I guess it might make me even more aware of the problems inconsiderate drivers cause

Hi HolidaysQueen, can see your reasoning and I don't hate you , but do pedestrians then have to squeeze past your car to get across? (I think part of the problem may be that drivers don't realise how crossing a clear road ata green man with two children requires concentration, while weaving around the traffic in the same situation makes me truly nervous. As you said before, the traffic starts to move as soon as the lights go green for them, and the green man is not on long enough anyway.) I do know what you mean about everyone wants to get to their destination in reasonable time, but at our lights pedestrians wait two minutes to even get a channce to cross, and sometimes people have had to wait that twice over because of the behaviour of the drivers at the two previous changes....

Blu, I used to do that sometimes, but DD1 won't let me, and I can understand that. Was with one of the dads once and he picked up the empty buggy and wheeled it up the bonnet and over the windscreen - driver was not happy!

Sorry HolidaysQueen. You said you've only done it once or twice... I misread it.

TBH I think most drivers have done this at some time. It's quite easy to stop on the crossing when the traffic is moving slowly and stops suddenly. And then if the lights change you're stuck there. If it's happened to me I mouth 'sorry' at the pedestrians and look apologetic and usually I get an 'it's OK' wave in reply.

I've been on the other side of it too when vehicles (usually lorries) stop on the crossing, and then you have to wait or cross right away from the crossing.

I don't think it's cussedness on the part of the drivers always, it's a bit careless maybe. TBH after DS#2 and I were nearly mowed down on the crossing by some stupid cw who didn't even stop at all, I tend to get much less upset about minor infringments. And then there was the cyclist who bashed the back of the pushchair while he was cycling across the pedestrian* crossing. He apologised most profusely so I forgave him

Like that dad's style. My dd wellbeyond buggy age but perhaps I should train the dog to jump up on the bonnet instead. Scratchy, muddy feet should make the point nicely