Who's 'more' in the wrong here?

actuallylike

How do,
here's a question that got me scratching my noodle. I walk to college every day and cross at a few pedestrian lights on route. Usually wait for the green man but occasionally I don't when it's all clear or when the light for traffic is red. I know that I'm legally in the wrong here.

Occasionally a cyclist rides up to the lights and breaks them, sometimes to just get right at the front beyond the pedestrian crossing or sometimes to just merge in with the traffic already moving, I assume he/she's also in the wrong? I usually have to jump out of the way when they come past or they have to lash on the brakes when they come to me.

We're both in essence breaking our own respective lights so if there was a collision, who'd be in the wrong? Both of us? What side would the law take if we were both equally injured?

Apologies if this has already been brought up, couldn't find it. The new search option is rubbish!

el tel

I don't know the answer sorry. But one thing I note is that many pedestrians do not appreciate that bikes do not stop as quickly and shortly as cars. Similarly many cyclists do not appreciate this either and ride at speeds too quick for them to stop in anticipation of silly pedestrians. I would be as guilty as any in that respect.

Cookie_Monster

actuallylike wrote: »

We're both in essence breaking our own respective lights so if there was a collision, who'd be in the wrong? Both of us? What side would the law take if we were both equally injured?

but how can you both be braking the lights at the same time at a crossing. Either its green for you or him and whoever goes through the red is wrong.

irishmotorist

actuallylike wrote: »

Occasionally a cyclist rides up to the lights and breaks them, sometimes to just get right at the front beyond the pedestrian crossing or sometimes to just merge in with the traffic already moving, I assume he/she's also in the wrong? I usually have to jump out of the way when they come past or they have to lash on the brakes when they come to me.

I would consider both to be equally wrong. Both are doing something that is at odds with the correct thing to do. Unless you have a green man, you should wait on the path until he (green man) appears. The cyclist should stop behind the white line, or in the designated cycle area. AFAIK these are always before the pedestrian crossing parallels. I don't think that one is more wrong, thereby absolving the other to any degree.

Captain Havoc

Irishmotorist summed it up nicely there, law requires pedestrians to wait for green man and cyclists to wait for green light. THREAD CLOSED