Peds are People & SMIDSY!

[thomas]

Just thought I'd post this video from coming back from town. I've seen a few videos on youtube recently, from cyclists, involving incidents with pedestrians which ended up with yelling. Nearly all of these videos could have easily have been avoided with a bit of basic road sense, anticipation and patience.

I'm not saying there aren't times when Pedestrians, like every other group of road users don't do something very stupid and dangerous, but most of the time they're just a bit dappy and just need to be given a little bit more care.

Like in my video, my priority over the lights, but they crossed on the red man. Rather than work myself up, I just stopped and let them across. I know how bad the lights are in the city centre for peds so accommodate for this.

Sooo, with Valentine's Day tomorrow, how about for the next week we show the love, and try to be a bit more patient and understanding around Pedestrians. Let's try and anticipate their movements and adjust ours to avoid conflict, rather than getting agitated.

Also, here are some slow mos of the SMIDSY to entertain yourself with .

 

[gaz]

*cough* guilty as charged.

I have learnt the errors of my ways, honest guv.

 

[hackbike 666]

*cough* guilty as charged.

I have learnt the errors of my ways, honest guv.

+1 Trillion.


(1)I like the way you speeded the film up,how did you do that?
(2) On 40s my finger would have pressed the horn button and he would have got the idea.
(3) Spelling error on 47s.

 

[thomas]

*cough* guilty as charged.

I have learnt the errors of my ways, honest guv.

yeah, one of them, but wasn't digging at anyone personally (because I've certainly yelled at a Ped when I could of avoided it, but I'm trying to reform ). They've been a couple where, yes the pedestrian could look around and wait...but they're pedestrians so it's obvious most won't. Rather than just carrying on anyway, just slow down a bit

I know there are times when a good yell/honk/etc is needed, and I don't want to annoy anyone who has had an accident with a ped that wasn't their fault. Just, let's try to keep those times to a minimum.

We want more respect on the road, we generally need different things to cars. Peds are similar, and further down the food chain.

 

[Tynan]

they've got pavements, and all sorts of crossings that give them regular priority

I have no sympathy with any of them that get hurt wandering around in the road, I near miss then all the time stepping out from blind positions with no care whatsoever

 

[gaz]

yeah, one of them, but wasn't digging at anyone personally . They've been a couple where, yes the pedestrian could look around and wait...but they're pedestrians so it's obvious most won't. Rather than just carrying on anyway, just slow down a bit

I know there are times when a good yell/honk/etc is needed, and I don't want to annoy anyone who has had an accident with a ped that wasn't their fault. Just, let's try to keep those times to a minimum.

We want more respect on the road, we generally need different things to cars. Peds are similar, and further down the food chain.

It just shows that we aren't all perfect. and can easily learn some simple tactics for our safety and others... funny thing is it wasn't something i did often. normally slowed down. and let people know i was there. and only said something like come on if people kept crossing..

 

[thomas]

+1 Trillion.


(1)I like the way you speeded the film up,how did you do that?
(2) On 40s my finger would have pressed the horn button and he would have got the idea.
(3) Spelling error on 47s.

1:
In windows movie maker...go into effects (or transitions...I can't remember which). there's a speed up double function or slow down half function. If you do the speed up too many times the video goes all funny though. Just drag and drop it over your scene until your happy with the speed
3: Shame WMM doesn't have a spolling checker

2:
I wasn't really expecting it tbh. The car was parked (illegally) in the bus stop and I think I was paying more attention to the women about to cross .

I don't have my airzound on my bike atm, but my finger would have been resting over it so would probably have set it off before my yell came out.

they've got pavements, and all sorts of crossings that give them regular priority

I have no sympathy with any of them that get hurt wandering around in the road, I near miss then all the time stepping out from blind positions with no care whatsoever

We've got cycle lanes, but I certainly wouldn't expect a cyclist to stick to some of them.

As for not caring if you hit a pedestrian, I find that quite sad. Ultimately, anticipate pedestrians actions so you don't get hurt. Not just them. Less accidents would be caused, in general, if some people didn't take the view that "well, I'm in the right, if they hit me, it is their insurance that will pay".

It just shows that we aren't all perfect. and can easily learn some simple tactics for our safety and others... funny thing is it wasn't something i did often. normally slowed down. and let people know i was there. and only said something like come on if people kept crossing..

That's fair enough. Certainly, last year when pulling into my road there were two people walking. They were about to cross the junction I was going to turn into and rather than just slow down a bit I said "careful" so they'd hear. Was completely pointless of me.

 

[hackbike 666]

We want more respect on the road, we generally need different things to cars. Peds are similar, and further down the food chain.

That's true but I don't go out to bully peds but the main problem I find is poor unthought out crossing practices.Even the suits in London are particulary bad at this.

2:
I wasn't really expecting it tbh. The car was parked (illegally) in the bus stop and I think I was paying more attention to the women about to cross.

I find that if I have found time to blow the horn then it isn't really a near miss if you know what I mean.Which means I half expected the sin against thee.Only once recently didn't I get time to blow the horn was when the ped stepped of the pavement in front of me.

On a side note I notice a lot of railings have disappeared on my route.Surely that's not a good thing?

 

[thomas]

That's true but I don't go out to bully peds but the main problem I find is poor unthought out crossing practices.Even the suits in London are particulary bad at this.

2:
I wasn't really expecting it tbh. The car was parked (illegally) in the bus stop and I think I was paying more attention to the women about to cross.

I find that if I have found time to blow the horn then it isn't really a near miss if you know what I mean.Which means I half expected the sin against thee.Only once recently didn't I get time to blow the horn was when the ped stepped of the pavement in front of me.

On a side note I notice a lot of railings have disapeared on my route.Surely that's not a good thing?

Yep, certainly I've had people nearly walk out in front of me which is why I said 'some' times in my first post. Certainly, if I saw it coming, I'd rather just move out into the lane to avoid them, but would still give them a little warning just so they maybe thought about it, as a lorry or bus isn't as nimble as me.

I know what you mean about using your horn. When I used mine it was mainly a warning to not do something stupid. Certainly, my reaction today was brakes and yell.

I think removing railings is a good thing...for me anyway. I hate being forced to walk around some maze to get across the road, but I can see it's safe to just cut across. I know it only saves a couple of seconds, but when walking home with a weeks of heavy food shopping that does make a difference.

 

[brokenbetty]

The other day I didn't have time to reach my bell and found myself yelling "DINGDING!!!" cos I was already in bell mode. It worked though

 

[hackbike 666]

I noticed a cycler the other day use his (weak) ping ping bell but I thought to myself at least the ped knows what it is.(I was watching)

 

[thomas]

I noticed a cycler the other day use his (weak) ping ping bell but I thought to myself at least the ped knows what it is.(I was watching)

That's why I like my airzound on cars, as they expect it to be another car about to crash into them

 

[hackbike 666]

That's why I like my airzound on cars, as they expect it to be another car about to crash into them

Same with my car horn.

 

[Arch]

On a side note I notice a lot of railings have disappeared on my route.Surely that's not a good thing?

Yes, it is. Responsible peds shouldn't be hemmed in (irresponsible ones will just act like goats at some other spot anyway), and it's one less place for a cyclist to get mashed against by a bus or lorry....

A small section of railing outside a school gate is one thing, because kids run out of gates, and lark about pushing each other and so on. But great long swathes of railings generally are depressing...

 

[potsy]

I have a little stretch of cycle path on way home through the town centre(stockport) where it it one way for traffic(buses only) but 2 way for cyclists includind a painted cycle lane.
If I cycled at normal speed I would hit peds for fun,probably 50% of them just walk straight out across the road I now use it as a little rest period and go slowly <10mph.Makes me smile now at the look on some of the faces as they step out in front of me and realise just in time where they are