Treating pedestrian crossings like box junctions.

Seasoft

What the general feeling on this?

If I'm in busy traffic and come to a light-controlled pedestrian crossing I stay off it if I cannot fully cross it even if the light is green for traffic. I wait until there is enough room for me to cross and clear before moving.

I see many drivers doing this, but a majority will just crawl up to the rear bumper of the car in front even if it means they are fully across the pedestrian crossing. If the lights change then pedestrians have to weave their way across past the obstruction, not to mention the issue of can the car drive forward or not?

Is there anything in the RofTR about this? Any legal requirements?

OldmanMondeo

ROTR or not, should be left clear. Able bodied people are not the only ones who ise them, buggies, wheelchairs etc...

dmc17

Not too sure about the ROTD but there's a chapter in the book of "common sense and courtesy" about it. You've obviously read it

stoneill

My general feeling is that they are selfish feckers.

wendell borton

There seems to be lot of drivers that don't know what a box junction is never mind stopping on pedestrian crossings.:(

mrsoundie

Also many drivers do not which is the stop line at traffic lights. And those with advanced stop line (the red boxes for cyclists) are more ignored.

The one thing about common sense is it is not very common.

mathepac

Sound so. I'll add another "C" to my usual 3 - Care, Courtesy, Consideration, Common sense.

They're all in short supply on our roads these days, based purely on observations.

O.A.P

I dont know what the rule is but I never stop on a pedestrian crossing.
It seems obvious really.

Victor

People seem to race up to the red light (and past it), but what they fail to appreciate is that it will get them nowhere any quicker. Every piece of free space that is created is there for you to use - use it at the least practical speed. This saves fuel, maintenance, nerves and casualties.

While this (I presume someone mistook a filter light for a green light) is a rare and extreme example, it just proves that being too close to the junction can be exceptionally dangerous, whether you are hit from the front or behind.

colm_mcm

I think the guy in that video would have been walloped either way, it may have been even worse had he been further back and the car rolled more.

Agreed in principle though, no point in it, you're not gonna gain anything and it makes the traffic lights harder to see.

Victor

Rather than get involved in a road rage incident, I've taken to taking pictures of traffic.

1. Junctions can genuinely have very large numbers of pedestrians. Don't get too close or you could get shunted into those pedestrians by a larger vehicle behind you.



2. The guy sticking his nose into traffic risks having the front of his vehicle taken off by a bus coming around the corner.



3 & 4. This type of behaviour really annoys me. Not only is it illegal to park (15m on approach side, 5m on departure side) at a pedestrian crossing / traffic lights, the parking in these photos shows that vehicles have to cross on to the wrong side of the road to get past the obstruction - look at the wear on the solid white line.

Victor

1. Not so bad



2. A fair bit worse



3. A bit silly. Notably the yellow box doesn't start until more than 10 metres after the stop line. At least if the cars lined up, pedestrians could get across quicker.



4. This is so bad that they are still in the box at the end of the green pedestrian phase. total gain - zero metres.



5. The one car from the side road might get ahead of them!