Wish the ground would swallow you?

[Wheeledweenie]

Have just witnessed a pedestrian hit by a guy on a Brompton.

He came down the road, about 10 people were crossing even though it was a red man, he rang his bell several times and shouted. Several people stopped just short of him or ran off the crossing but this woman just was not paying attention. He braked sharply and bumped her without causing injury but her coffee went all over him. He then gave her a loud and stern lecture about not crossing when the little man was red before pedalling into the distance.

She looked like she wished the ground would swallow her.

 

[gavintc]

I 'collected' a woman in glasgow city centre a couple of years ago. It was really quite funny in retrospect. She decided to run across a red as I was approaching. I shouted at her, braked and tried to aim off to miss her. She did the same thing and moved to exactly where I was going, but now facing me. I effectively picked her up as she folded over the handlebars and carried her for a few feet. There was no damage to either of us and we had a bit of laugh as she climbed off the bike.

 

[Arch]

On a slightly related note, I was waiting to cross the road at a confusing junction yesterday, pushing my bike, and the lady in the car at the head of the queue at the pedestrian crossing hooted at me and beckoned me to cross in front of her.

I pointed to the red man, and then the two cars coming the other way, and declined. She rambled cheerily at me, but I couldn't quite make out what she was saying....

 

[Twenty Inch]

On a slightly related note, I was waiting to cross the road at a confusing junction yesterday, pushing my bike, and the lady in the car at the head of the queue at the pedestrian crossing hooted at me and beckoned me to cross in front of her.

I pointed to the red man, and then the two cars coming the other way, and declined. She rambled cheerily at me, but I couldn't quite make out what she was saying....

Sort of agressive good turn doing - interesting.

 

[Speicher]

Normally when in the vicinity of moving traffic, I am hyper-vigilant. But, as happened to Arch, I was waiting at the pedestrian light controlled crossing (are they still called Pelicans) and a motorist stopped. My temporarily switched-off brain, did not look at the lights. I did wonder why the driver coming the other way did not look like he was going to stop. It is supposed to be a twenty-mile an hour maximum speed zone.

 

[Arch]

Normally when in the vicinity of moving traffic, I am hyper-vigilant. But, as happened to Arch, I was waiting at the pedestrian light controlled crossing (are they still called Pelicans) and a motorist stopped. My temporarily switched-off brain, did not look at the lights. I did wonder why the driver coming the other way did not look like he was going to stop. It is supposed to be a twenty-mile an hour maximum speed zone.

They are Pelicans if the green/red man is on a display on the other side of the road, high up. They are Puffins if the green/red man is on a display on your side, at arm height. They are Toucans, if they are also cycle crossings, and Pegasuses if they are shared with horses.

How sad is it that I know that?

 

[Tony B]

They are Pelicans if the green/red man is on a display on the other side of the road, high up. They are Puffins if the green/red man is on a display on your side, at arm height. They are Toucans, if they are also cycle crossings, and Pegasuses if they are shared with horses.

How sad is it that I know that?

 

[Hilldodger]

So the guy on the Brompton had plenty of time to slow down. There were a lot of people crossing so he should have done.

Highway Code - give way to pedestrians and vunerable road users.

 

[ChrisKH]

To be fair to her (and I don't often give credit to pedestrians), the Highway Code does say you should give way to pedestrians even when they are crossing on a green light/red man. Presumably this is to prevent people treating lights like a starting gate and it might give peds. carte blanche to act in this way but they are the most vulnerable road user when crossing with or without lights. He could have tried slowing down if a group of crossers were apparent. It is tiresome when this happens, but it's what I would have done.

My response may have been different had the same post been made two years ago.

 

[Yellow Fang]

So the guy on the Brompton had plenty of time to slow down. There were a lot of people crossing so he should have done.

Highway Code - give way to pedestrians and vunerable road users.

That's what I thought too.

 

[Landslide]

How sad is it that I know that?

Very.

 

[Wheeledweenie]

He got visibly slower as he approached binging ever louder, hence why she was bumped rather than smacked with force.

 

[Davidc]

Some of the car drivers I come across would have sped up as they approached!

 

[Archie_tect]

They are Pelicans if the green/red man is on a display on the other side of the road, high up. They are Puffins if the green/red man is on a display on your side, at arm height. They are Toucans, if they are also cycle crossings, and Pegasuses if they are shared with horses.

How sad is it that I know that?

...and Heffalumps in India- except there are no lights and no crossings.

 

[Globalti]

I once stepped off the pavement walking along Oxford Street and was surprised to find a bike wheel between my legs and an irate cyclist shouting in my ear.