Why are these type of crossings around, they are death traps

[doctornige]

Some countries have marked areas like that where pedestrians are allowed to cross. No onus on the driver to stop, just that if the pedestrian is on any other part of the road they are jay-walking.

I don't know about Spain as I've never been there.

Hyderabad is hilarious in this regard. There are marked crossings, but everyone crosses wherever, and there are NO traffic lights in the whole city. Traffic is managed by constant horn beeping.

 

[Sandra6]

Even a single lane zebra crossing can be dangerous if some eejit chooses not to stop.

 

[GrasB]

Even a single lane zebra crossing can be dangerous if some eejit chooses not to stop.

And so is every other type of pedestrian crossing. So a few weeks ago going to work, so about 5:00am I come to a stop at this pedestrian crossing (I think). The lights go red & I stop, all of the cars behind me carry on straight through the lights. The first one nearly knocks over the people trying to cross the road... They prevented the peds from crossing in the entire crossing cycle. I just stayed there until they did cross & got thanked for stopping.

 

[kievcyclist]

[QUOTE 2159010, member: 259"]It's not in Spain, it's in Russia isn't it?

Bad Russian drivers - I never thought I'd see the day![/quote]
It's in Kiev, Ukraine. Drivers here are actually pretty good at stopping for pedestrians on zebra crossings. They've become worse with time, though. A lot of drivers buy their licences now, you see... If that were in Moscow, nobody would have even stopped. Except me, the cyclist, of course.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

A lot of the ex-soviet states have the same policy - pedestrains do not get right of way (neither do cyclists). we experienced similar isses when were in the former soviet states last year... it's a case of a diferrent law and you have to know it or learn it very fast. And yes, there can be a lot of lanes to cross. In the UK we are almost kind to our pedestrains!

 

[Hitchington]

I was nearly mown down on a Zebra crossing in Poland because I "foolishly" thought that cars would, as in the UK, stop or at least slow down if I was halfway across one.

 

[Sandra6]

I was nearly mown down on a Zebra crossing in Poland because I "foolishly" thought that cars would, as in the UK, stop or at least slow down if I was halfway across one.

We were almost hit a couple of times crossing the roads, on crossings, in Paris until we realised the stories about French motorists are true!!

 

[SomethingLikeThat]

In Italy they have similar crossings, most of the time though you have to start walking across before they even stop, whereas in the UK you can usually wait on the pavement and drivers'll notice.

 

[markharry66]

different cultures have different rules for instance when I lived in bali I soon learnt that someone using their horn did not mean come through it meant they were coming through

 

[Arch]

different cultures have different rules for instance when I lived in bali I soon learnt that someone using their horn did not mean come through it meant they were coming through

Well, that's more or less what it means here - to warn other road users of your presence...

 

[Cyclopathic]

A light weight fold away "STOP" sign and a high viz vest and one need never have to bother to find a crossing ever again. I'm determined to try this one day, just act like some sort of road worker and stop traffic so that I can cross when and where I like. Motorways and such.

 

[jdtate101]

Just go on youtube and search for "russian road accident" and see how many involve these types of crossings, usually someone going to fast and the person crossing is unsighted by the 1st stopped car. Some of them are really shocking.

 

[jdtate101]

Perfect example here of drivers just not giving a shoot:

 

[BrumJim]

We were almost hit a couple of times crossing the roads, on crossings, in Paris until we realised the stories about French motorists are true!!

It is my theory that pedestrians are encouraged to use Zebra crossings in Paris, as the white stripes make it easier to clean the blood off the road!

 

[markharry66]

"Well, that's more or less what it means here - to warn other road users of your presence..."
Sorry didnt explain it to well one blast of the horn and they would come straight through, slightly different