zebra crosssings-safety?

mikehammer67

how safe are these things for pedestrians

they seem to be placed in bad locations a lot of the time

and you wouldn't know until you're already driving onto it

also pedestrians just seem to hop onto them like they're protected from oncoming traffic somehow?

runawaybishop

mikehammer67 wrote: »

how safe are these things for pedestrians

they seem to be placed in bad locations a lot of the time

and you wouldn't know until you're already driving onto it

also pedestrians just seem to hop onto them like they're protected from oncoming traffic somehow?

Their safety for pedestrians depends on how safe a driver you are. Not sure how hard it is to miss the big white stripes and the lights in fairness. Pedestrians do hop onto them a lot though, but that's probably because they have right of way?

mikehammer67

you mightn't see it if you're turning a corner
and the crossing is bang on the corner like one i know of

endacl

mikehammer67 wrote: »

you mightn't see it if you're turning a corner
and the crossing is bang on the corner like one i know of

Go slower around corners? Tbh, I've never been ambushed by a zebra crossing.

runawaybishop

mikehammer67 wrote: »

you mightn't see it if you're turning a corner
and the crossing is bang on the corner like one i know of

Then you are driving too fast.

biko

Sometimes there's poles and other feature to bring extra attention to their location but tbh, the onus is on you as the driver to see them in time.

Is there a particular one you are thinking of?

mikehammer67

runawaybishop wrote: »

Then you are driving too fast.

i drive too slow actually

runawaybishop

mikehammer67 wrote: »

i drive too slow actually

Maybe you do in general, i don't know how you drive. I do know that as the driver it is your responsibility to drive appropriately. You are driving too fast around that corner if you cannot stop in time for a zebra crossing.

hardCopy

It always amazes me when I go on holidays to countries with seemingly notorious drivers. Anywhere on the continent you could walk straight out across one of these without a glance and traffic stops immediately for the sacred pedestrian, yet here drivers will accelerate if they see you turning towards the kerb for fear of having to wait 30 seconds for a pedestrian.

It's an awful pity because the pedestrian light alternative is much more disruptive to traffic and a general PITA.

mikehammer67

runawaybishop wrote: »

Maybe you do in general, i don't know how you drive. I do know that as the driver it is your responsibility to drive appropriately. You are driving too fast around that corner if you cannot stop in time for a zebra crossing.

i just checked on google maps

the one i had in mind isn't actually a zebra crossing

gramar

Pedestrians have the right of way but I agree with the OP that they sometimes appear to think that pedestrian crossings give them some kind immunity.
If I see a car doing 50kmh 20 yards from the crossing I wouldn't step out but some do. It's as if they'd prefer to exercise their right of way and risk broken legs or worse rather than waiting 2 seconds for the car to pass.

mikehammer67

hardCopy wrote: »

It always amazes me when I go on holidays to countries with seemingly notorious drivers. Anywhere on the continent you could walk straight out across one of these without a glance and traffic stops immediately for the sacred pedestrian, yet here drivers will accelerate if they see you turning towards the kerb for fear of having to wait 30 seconds for a pedestrian.

It's an awful pity because the pedestrian light alternative is much more disruptive to traffic and a general PITA.

link?

runawaybishop

gramar wrote: »

Pedestrians have the right of way but I agree with the OP that they sometimes appear to think that pedestrian crossings give them some kind immunity.
If I see a car doing 50kmh 20 yards from the crossing I wouldn't step out but some do. It's as if they'd prefer to exercise their right of way and risk broken legs or worse rather than waiting 2 seconds for the car to pass.

I walk right out as a pedestrian, it annoys me when cars ignore the law with regard to pedestrian crossings and it seems pretty common where I live. I also would stop before I reach a crossing when i am driving and see a pedestrian lingering at the edge of it, it annoys me when pedestrians are faffing around crossings and perhaps give drivers the mistaken impression that they have right of way.

mikehammer67

runawaybishop wrote: »

I walk right out as a pedestrian, it annoys me when cars ignore the law with regard to pedestrian crossings and it seems pretty common where I live. I also would stop before I reach a crossing when i am driving and see a pedestrian lingering at the edge of it, it annoys me when pedestrians are faffing around crossings and perhaps give drivers the mistaken impression that they have right of way.

thats my concern

mikehammer67

mikehammer67 wrote: »

thats my concern

you walk right out

some drivers don't see the crossing or flout the law

how safe is that?

Anjobe

runawaybishop wrote: »

I walk right out as a pedestrian...

You might want to be a little more circumspect than that...the laws of physics will trump the rules of the road everytime!

gramar

runawaybishop wrote: »

I walk right out as a pedestrian, it annoys me when cars ignore the law with regard to pedestrian crossings and it seems pretty common where I live. I also would stop before I reach a crossing when i am driving and see a pedestrian lingering at the edge of it, it annoys me when pedestrians are faffing around crossings and perhaps give drivers the mistaken impression that they have right of way.

Pedestrians have to apply a bit of common sense. If the car is nearly at the crossing doing 50 are you just going to walk out and hope it will stop?
I'd sooner not end up in with both my legs in plaster than be right.

Some pedestrians are more cautious than others and won't cross until the car is stopped while most will begin to cross once the car looks to be slowing.

The pedestrians that put their lives at risk by stepping out onto the crossing when the car is nearly on top of them are the ones who annoy me.

runawaybishop

gramar wrote: »

Pedestrians have to apply a bit of common sense.

So do posters here. Considering i am successful alive after my mad escapades it can be assumed i don't throw myself in front of cars 5 feet away. Walking out in front of a driver who is 5 feet away and not looking at you is different to walking out in front of a driver who is looking straight at you from a safe distance. Pedestrians faffing about is just reinforcing the behaviour of bad drivers.

H3llR4iser

The only issue I have is that I find the "raised" (e.g. on a small "speedbump-like" platform) ones to have poor visibility...it's only a few inches, but for some reason they seem to contrast a bit less especially at night - maybe because the headlight end up projecting a shadow on them.

As for pedestrians yes, there should be a little more education towards the "you have right of way, but if a car or worse bus/truck is 10 meters away, maybe it's not such a good idea to just jump on the road".

As for other countries, there is better and there is worse. There are places where pedestrians are routinely beeped for crossing on the zebra lines.

_Kaiser_

runawaybishop wrote: »

I walk right out as a pedestrian, it annoys me when cars ignore the law with regard to pedestrian crossings and it seems pretty common where I live. I also would stop before I reach a crossing when i am driving and see a pedestrian lingering at the edge of it, it annoys me when pedestrians are faffing around crossings and perhaps give drivers the mistaken impression that they have right of way.

So you'd rather risk injury/worse so you can exercise your "rights" as a pedestrian rather than using common sense and waiting a few seconds for the car to pass?

No doubt you figure the compensation claim will help if something happens, but I doubt there's any amount of money that would make up for spending the rest of your life in a wheelchair - or as I said, potentially worse.

But to be fair to you, it's a side-effect of our times .. the shirking of personal responsibility for ones actions and in this case safety just to make a point.

Personally though my health and safety is more important though and if it means waiting a few extra seconds I would.

markpb

gramar wrote: »

Pedestrians have to apply a bit of common sense. If the car is nearly at the crossing doing 50 are you just going to walk out and hope it will stop?
I'd sooner not end up in with both my legs in plaster than be right.

If you're approaching a zebra crossing with a pedestrian nearby at 50kph, you're driving inappropriately for the conditions.

gramar

runawaybishop wrote: »

So do posters here. Considering i am successful alive after my mad escapades it can be assumed i don't throw myself in front of cars 5 feet away. Walking out in front of a driver who is 5 feet away and not looking at you is different to walking out in front of a driver who is looking straight at you from a safe distance. Pedestrians faffing about is just reinforcing the behaviour of bad drivers.

Walking right out when the car is a safe distance away and has plenty of time to react and walking right out when the car is 5 feet away and the driver is distractedare two very different types of walking right out.

runawaybishop

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

So you'd rather risk injury/worse so you can exercise your "rights" as a pedestrian rather than using common sense and waiting a few seconds for the car to pass?

No doubt you figure the compensation claim will help if something happens, but I doubt there's any amount of money that would make up for spending the rest of your life in a wheelchair - or as I said, potentially worse.

But to be fair to you, it's a side-effect of our times .. the shirking of personal responsibility for ones actions and in this case safety just to make a point.

Personally though my health and safety is more important though and if it means waiting a few extra seconds I would.

You incorrectly assume I am risking my safety and are jumping to false conclusions. Damn assumptions everywhere.

gramar wrote: »

Walking right out when the car is a safe distance away and has plenty of time to react and walking right out when the car is 5 feet away and the driver is distractedare two very different types of walking right out.

Yes, i incorrectly assumed people used a bit of common sense.

gramar

markpb wrote: »

If you're approaching a zebra crossing with a pedestrian nearby at 50kph, you're driving inappropriately for the conditions.

Well where I live the urban speed limit barring a few streets is 50kph and there are zebra crossing all over the place so...........

markpb

gramar wrote: »

Well where I live the urban speed limit barring a few streets is 50kph and there are zebra crossing all over the place so...........

If you see a pedestrian near a zebra crossing, they have the right to cross and you must be able to stop in time. This happens all over the world, it's just here that people seem to get confused. Zebra crossings are not fancy ornaments on the road.

runawaybishop

gramar wrote: »

Well where I live the urban speed limit barring a few streets is 50kph and there are zebra crossing all over the place so...........

So slow down when you approach them if there is a pedestrian near by.

gramar

markpb wrote: »

If you see a pedestrian near a zebra crossing, they have the right to cross and you must be able to stop in time. This happens all over the world, it's just here that people seem to get confused. Zebra crossings are not fancy ornaments on the road.

And if the pedestrian is sitting down on a bench watching the world go by should I slow down then in case he decides to make a dash for it?

markpb

gramar wrote: »

And if the pedestrian is sitting down on a bench watching the world go by should I slow down then in case he decides to make a dash for it?

:rolls eyes:

tonc76

http://www.rotr.ie/respecting-other-road-users/index.html

Some extracts from the RSA rules of the road:

The vehicle does not have greater right-of-way than any other road user, so, for safety reasons, you should drive defensively. This means expecting the unexpected and making way for other road users when necessary.

As a driver, you must not put a pedestrian at risk. In particular, you must give way to pedestrians:

• on or at a zebra crossing (even if they are only waiting to cross),
• on or at a pelican crossing, when the amber light is flashing,
• crossing the road, if you are moving off from a stationary position (for example at a traffic light or a parking space), and
• at a junction, if they have started crossing the road.

Watch out for pedestrians who might attempt to cross the road suddenly from between parked vehicles. Make extra allowances for older people, people with disabilities and children. Watch for pedestrians walking to and from buses.

Fred Swanson

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runawaybishop

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Don't they all have lights now?

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.