Giving way to peds when turning into a side road

[MessenJah]

I gave way to 3 pedestrians today as I was about to turn left and they were about to cross. They were facing away from me and turned around to see if anything was coming, then stopped, but I stopped and let them go.

The two blokes thanked me and crossed, but the woman stayed where she was

I waved my hand to say 'carry on' (I know you're not supposed to do that but still), but she just stayed still and gave me a very scared, in fact a rather petrified look, shook her head as if to say 'no', and pointed to the car that was behind me

What the hell did she think the driver was gonna do, run me over from behind and then run her over too?

I find it quite sad that some people care less about their rights or that someone is showing them courtesy, than the fact that they are holding a car driver up. Some people clearly see car drivers as more important than themselves (and in this case more important than me, just a mere cyclist - I'm sure she would have crossed if a car driver had given way to her)

 

[WJHall]

Probably a reasonable assumption about what the driver might do.

In any case, if someone declines your courtesy, in this or similar circumstance, just smile, say thank you and move off.

..., shook her head as if to say 'no', and pointed to the car that was behind me

What the hell did she think the driver was gonna do, run me over from behind and then run her over too?

...)

 

[alecstilleyedye]

Probably a reasonable assumption about what the driver might do.

In any case, if someone declines your courtesy, in this or similar circumstance, just smile, say thank you and move off.

that's what i'd do too.

 

[Joe24]

I normally just have them walk across without looking.
Did have an old women today though who saw me, and stopped half way across the road and the end of a road, i had slowed down because its where you join the main road and had seen her, stopped with loads of space and she looked at me. Waved her on but she gave me some puzzled look. She did keep going though after a while.
Like she was puzzled to have someone stop for her to cross the road, and because i am young.

 

[MessenJah]

Probably a reasonable assumption about what the driver might do.

In any case, if someone declines your courtesy, in this or similar circumstance, just smile, say thank you and move off.

Thats what I did after she shook her head. I was just a bit surprised at and confused by the fact that someone would say no to being let cross the road. The car behind me had stopped behind me and wasn't going anywhere until I moved. I was just trying to be polite and TBH it would have been dangerous not to give way (or, in this case, attempt to give way) anyway. I don't understand why she didn't just cross with the two blokes she was walking with, did she feel like she was doing something wrong, like she was wrong to slightly inconvenience mr all-ruling motorist by making him/her stop for 3 seconds while she crossed?

It's weird because at the other end of the spectrum you've got peds who cross without looking, or just step out in front of you even though they can see you coming.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Maybve she was arab or something and had to stay a good distance behind her two blokes?

...or perhaps (more seriously) she had been hit by a peasant driver at some point...that would put the fear of God in her...sad but true.

..I think th emost likey scenario was that she herself was a 4x4 driver whose weapon was being serviced in a garage without a courtesy car...she didnt wan't to miss the fun of watching the driver behind you splat you all over the crossing and skid off in a cloud of rubber wimp dist without stopping.

 

[summerdays]

Its upto the pedestrian whether they feel safe... if you were on a bike and a car waved you out... you would still make the descission over whether it was safe or not... just cos that car has stopped doesn't mean that one coming the other way might not. I used to get it with when I was with kids ... a motorist would wave me across even though the other side of the road wasn't clear. If I didn't feel it was safe I would just shake my head and wave them on.

 

[Arch]

did she feel like she was doing something wrong, like she was wrong to slightly inconvenience mr all-ruling motorist by making him/her stop for 3 seconds while she crossed?

Nah, I think she simply didn't quite trust the driver behind you, or wanted you to go on because she felt she was holding you up - even though you'd let her go - it's like the Politeness Paradox when you get to a door at the same time as someone and you both end up saying "no, after you..." for ages.... Also, it can be pretty rare for anyone to give way to you as a ped, so she may just have been very surprised and not thinking...

 

[Mr Pig]

I gave way to 3 pedestrians today as I was about to turn left and they were about to cross.

You were totally in the wrong, and the woman who refused to move was right. You had right of way and should have acted on it. The signal you gave the pedestrians was illegal.

It is a very common mistake that being courteous in this manor is good practise when in fact it is often dangerous. By giving a signal to another road user to move you are putting them under pressure to do so, and also giving them the impression that it is safe to do so. It may not be. They may face danger from other traffic that you have not seen. It is not for you to tell other people when to move. It is for them to gather information and decided for themselves.

It also often, as in this case, causes vehicles to stop in places where they shouldn't, like on corners and in junctions, which can lead to other situations developing behind you.

Some courtesy signals are ok, like signalling another driver to filter into a traffic queue, but never when it involves you stopping unnecessarily or causing other road users to.

She was giving way to you and the car behind you because she knew more about the Highway Code than you! ;0)

 

[marinyork]

You were totally in the wrong, and the woman who refused to move was right. You had right of way and should have acted on it. The signal you gave the pedestrians was illegal.

It is a very common mistake that being courteous in this manor is good practise when in fact it is often dangerous. By giving a signal to another road user to move you are putting them under pressure to do so, and also giving them the impression that it is safe to do so. It may not be. They may face danger from other traffic that you have not seen. It is not for you to tell other people when to move. It is for them to gather information and decided for themselves.

It also often, as in this case, causes vehicles to stop in places where they shouldn't, like on corners and in junctions, which can lead to other situations developing behind you.

Some courtesy signals are ok, like signalling another driver to filter into a traffic queue, but never when it involves you stopping unnecessarily or causing other road users to.

She was giving way to you and the car behind you because she knew more about the Highway Code than you! ;0)

No it wasn't illegal. Ped had right of way. Now whether all these things are safe or not is another matter. If someone is stupid enough to go through and not anticipate behind it might well be dangerous but that's through their own stupidity and impatience. It is right to bear in mind some people may behave in this manner.

I agree that it's perhaps strange getting a bit narked at someone being nice and natural caution. If everyone behaved in such a manner on both sides there would probably be a lot fewer accidents on the road.

 

[domtyler]

Was she wearing an iPod?

 

[Mr Pig]

Ped had right of way.

How do you figure that? Even MessenJah admitted that he knows he wasn't supposed to give the woman a signal to cross.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

No, it's true. Pedestrians have right of way over traffic turning onto the side road that the ped is trying to cross. It doesn't happen often in practice (although I make a point of stopping my truck to let them go ... the nice thing about driving an artic is that you have the sheer physical presence to do things like that) but it is theoretically the pedestrian's right of way in the situation described in the OP.

 

[MessenJah]

Its upto the pedestrian whether they feel safe... if you were on a bike and a car waved you out... you would still make the descission over whether it was safe or not... just cos that car has stopped doesn't mean that one coming the other way might not. I used to get it with when I was with kids ... a motorist would wave me across even though the other side of the road wasn't clear. If I didn't feel it was safe I would just shake my head and wave them on.

There was nothing coming the other way as it was a one way street, but I agree you're right it's up to them to do what they feel is safest. I've had motorists let me out before and I've had to decline ebecause I couldn't see if there was something coming in the next lane. But really, this woman was really in no danger, I really don't know what she was worried about because she could clearly see that I was blocking the path of any vehicle that could be coming in her direction. Like you say, at the end of the day it's up to them whether they go or not, but it's just strange that she chose not to carry on with her two male aquaintances/workmates/whoever they were.

 

[MessenJah]

...or perhaps (more seriously) she had been hit by a peasant driver at some point...that would put the fear of God in her...sad but true.

Could be that I suppose!