if in doubt stop (unless you drive a porsche)

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Turbo Rider

Just can't reMember
If the driver spots the ped and interperates their movement then they should stop out of politeness. Trouble is though, that i'ts an eyes on the road job really. Rain this morning was hammering it down & I had poor visibility, whilst riding. There was a rider in front of me and he was all over the place, trying to avoid puddles while a car behind him was patiently allowing him to ride at his own pace. All three of us went past a zebra and there was someone standing there. I dont think either the rider, not the car in front spotted the guy and I must confess that I didnt even spot him until I was about three meters away, by which point, my brakes wouldnt allow me to stop in time. I said sorry as I dribbled past though and he shouted back 'no worries'.

I don't like zebra crossings at all. Too vague. Should all be replaced, but that's just an opinion and I do feel bad about not spotting him in time to stop. Ho hum.
 

Lemond

Senior Member
Location
Sunny Suffolk
I use the same zebra crossing two or three times a week. I'm in a quiet market town where the traffic isn't exactly hurtling by, but this sort of thing happens all the time. Sometimes the driver will apologise with a wave as they go by, but most of the time they seem completely oblivious to my presence and are just staring ahead.
 

clockman

Über Member
Location
Mole Valley
Posting as a driver who deals with several crossings every day on my commute I probably wouldn't have stopped either because she was dithering and hanging back and didn't look sure that she wanted to cross.
I have to agree. Ped was two steps from crossing. They should have been at the crossing, to make it obvious to driver that they wanted to cross.
Think I'd be more concerned that oncoming driver wasn't aware that a cyclist had stopped at a crossing for a pedestrian approaching the crossing on his side of the road. If I was that driver, I'd be thinking why has that cyclist stopped!
 
OP
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Mr_Kipling

Mr_Kipling

Über Member
Location
Berkshire
Good grief! You wouldn't want to live here. Practically no-one ever stops at a zebra crossing. Annoys the hell out of me. Just imagine you moved to France. Your Youtube channel would spectacularly burst with the pressure of videos like this. Bit of a none event really, isn't it? And have you asked the ped if they mind being uploaded onto the Internet?

No law or act requires me to get permission from the people who by chance appear on my camera in a public place. The choice to put her on youtube is mine not hers. If I was following her filming her (harassment) that may be another matter.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
Successful and safe use of uncontrolled crossings depends on the ped establishing eye contact with the driver and each understanding the other's intentions. Many years ago I was driving a truck with air brakes and some bint stepped straight onto the crossing without looking or apparently seeing me at all. I was coming down hill and it was wet so I hit the brakes, which locked and I skidded to a top about 3 ft from the woman who let loose a stream of abuse at me. It would have been my fault.
 

Dan B

Disengaged member
Successful and safe use of uncontrolled crossings depends on the ped establishing eye contact with the driver and each understanding the other's intentions. Many years ago I was driving a truck with air brakes and some bint stepped straight onto the crossing without looking or apparently seeing me at all. I was coming down hill and it was wet so I hit the brakes, which locked and I skidded to a top about 3 ft from the woman who let loose a stream of abuse at me. It would have been my fault.
It owuld have been, too. Would you treat a "give way" sign the same way?
 

Jimmy Doug

If you know what's good for you ...
No law or act requires me to get permission from the people who by chance appear on my camera in a public place. The choice to put her on youtube is mine not hers. If I was following her filming her (harassment) that may be another matter.

No, but no law requires you to be polite and considerate either.
Too many people these days are putting up videos on Youtube of every non-event they encounter during the day, captured in HD on their front and back mounted helmet-cams. Quite apart from the fact that a lot of people get annoyed by such self-righteousness, some of those who feature in these videos would probably prefer to be able to do their shopping, take their kids to school etc, without appearing on the World Wide Web the following morning, whereupon their behaviour will be analyzed and dissected. Save clips like this for your own enjoyment or for giving to the police in the event that you really do capture some genuinely bad or dangerous behaviour.
 
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Globalti

Legendary Member
It owuld have been, too. Would you treat a "give way" sign the same way?

Of course not. The point I tried to make and failed was that the pedestrian expected my truck to be able to brake like a car, not realising that a truck takes far longer to stop and air brakes can easily lock the wheels (hence the parallel tyre marks you often see on the approaches to junctions) and she simply exercised her right to cross, without any consideration to the approaching traffic.
 

Dan B

Disengaged member
Of course not. The point I tried to make and failed was that the pedestrian expected my truck to be able to brake like a car, not realising that a truck takes far longer to stop and air brakes can easily lock the wheels (hence the parallel tyre marks you often see on the approaches to junctions) and she simply exercised her right to cross, without any consideration to the approaching traffic.
Maybe the pedestrian expected you to be driving at a speed from which you could stop safely in the space available? If you'd slow down and prepare to give way at a Give Way sign, why not for a zebra?
 
I don't stop on a bike at pedestrian crossings if someone is waiting and if I do I take the lane. it's happened before I've stopped and someone has started to cross only for a car to ignore me and drive round and through. I decided pedestrian safety wise it's safer for them if I don't give way.
 

Dan B

Disengaged member
I don't stop on a bike at pedestrian crossings if someone is waiting and if I do I take the lane. it's happened before I've stopped and someone has started to cross only for a car to ignore me and drive round and through. I decided pedestrian safety wise it's safer for them if I don't give way.
This is a good point. I tend to take primary through zebras as a matter of habit, but obviously the ability to do so depends on road layout and traffic volumes and speeds and suchlike: if I'm being tailgated by a truck I'll (regrettably) be much more concerned with what's behind me than what's in front.
 
Zebra crossings are request stops as I understand it, however if you don't stop and knock someone down it will be your fault. The second someone steps off the pavement they have right of way and since you should be prepared to stop approaching a zebra crossing your get done by plod. Personally I'm always cautious and stop, even if some pig ignorant car driver doesn't. You can then lap up the moral superiority with said pedestrian thanking you and cursing them.
 
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