Conundrum: Pedestrians on a narrow country road with no footpaths - who gives way?
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As a pedestrian I regularly have to walk on rural roads with passing places or just enough room for two cars to pass on and in over 50 years of walking I have never been tooted at, flashed lights or sworn at. All drivers know how to act in such occasions. OP why are you meeting all those bad drivers?0
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As a pedestrian I regularly have to walk on rural roads with passing places or just enough room for two cars to pass on and in over 50 years of walking I have never been tooted at, flashed lights or sworn at. All drivers know how to act in such occasions. OP why are you meeting all those bad drivers?
A good question, and until a year or so back we (wife and I) had no problems at all. Then, over the last winter, when it was impossible to get onto the verge, things seemed to change. Patience seemed to go out of the window and we started encountering aggressive drivers shouting and waving.
One even stopped his van after nearly hitting us and told us to get off the road - he was reported to his company. Others gesticulate and point to the verge.
Part of the problem, I think, is that most people do actually get off the road and onto the verge - my wife has difficulty in doing that, and in any event it usually means getting muddy. Because most people get off the road, the assumption seems to be that vehicles have the right of way (contrary to the Highway Code) and anyone who doesn't is just seen as getting in the way.
Maybe it's satnavs? The proportion of local drivers (mostly considerate) has fallen, and other drivers perhaps don't appreciate that it's not always easy or convenient just to get out of the way every time a car passes.
The purpose of the question was to try to find out whether there was any knowledge of the Highway Code on this 'giving way' point. I must admit that I thought (before my wife corrected me) that we were obliged to get off the road, and I think many drivers assume that they have the right of way.0 -
Hard evidence???????
OK then - give us a link to it.
Or do you mean in your experience?
If the latter, please give us the statistics you have collected.
You may well have gathered (correctly) that I don't believe you and stand by my comment in post #24
"As the expensiveness of the car increased, the drivers' tendencies to break the law increased as well" (8m 08s into the video)
Specifically, drivers in more expensive cars are not giving way to pedestrians when they are legally obliged to do so.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-317615760 -
The purpose of the question was to try to find out whether there was any knowledge of the Highway Code on this 'giving way' point. I must admit that I thought (before my wife corrected me) that we were obliged to get off the road, and I think many drivers assume that they have the right of way.
Rule 2, for pedestrians: "If there is no pavement, keep to the right-hand side of the road so that you can see oncoming traffic. You should take extra care and- be prepared to walk in single file, especially on narrow roads or in poor light
- keep close to the side of the road.
Rule 206, for drivers and riders. "Drive carefully and slowly when ... approaching pedestrians on narrow rural roads without a footway or footpath. Always slow down and be prepared to stop if necessary, giving them plenty of room as you drive past."
In general, "The rules in The Highway Code do not give you the right of way in any circumstance, but they advise you when you should give way to others". In other words, there is no such thing as right of way - it is a myth.
Finally, why not try reading the HC for yourself - it's free online these days
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code 0 -
Pedestrians are 'road users', along with cyclists, horse riders, motorcyclists, car drivers, White Van Man, lorries, ambulances, bin lorries, tractors and the like. All have an equal right to use the road as long as they obey the law.
Not quite.
Pedestrians, cyclists, and horse riders all have a statutory right to use a public highway, the remainder only use the highway under licence. A licence which is only issued subject to terms and conditions, and which can be withdrawn if those terms and conditions are not met.0 -
"As the expensiveness of the car increased, the drivers' tendencies to break the law increased as well" (8m 08s into the video)
Specifically, drivers in more expensive cars are not giving way to pedestrians when they are legally obliged to do so.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31761576
... in California.0 -
What made it impossible to get onto the verge, was it too muddy etc? If that's the case then surely this something you should expect when out walking in the countryside in the middle of winter.A good question, and until a year or so back we (wife and I) had no problems at all. Then, over the last winter, when it was impossible to get onto the verge, things seemed to change. Patience seemed to go out of the window and we started encountering aggressive drivers shouting and waving.0 -
What made it impossible to get onto the verge, was it too muddy etc? If that's the case then surely this something you should expect when out walking in the countryside in the middle of winter.
Height of verge, mud, vegetation......a variety of factors. And, to be honest, if you did this every time a vehicle passed it would add a substantial amount of time to the walk.
It's a question really of whether a pedestrian should remove him or herself from the road every time a vehicle passes (and some do do that) or whether a driver should occasionally slow down when passing a pedestrian, or, very occasionally, actually stop for a few seconds if there's another vehicle approaching as well.0 -
Height of verge, mud, vegetation......a variety of factors. And, to be honest, if you did this every time a vehicle passed it would add a substantial amount of time to the walk.
It's a question really of whether a pedestrian should remove him or herself from the road every time a vehicle passes (and some do do that) or whether a driver should occasionally slow down when passing a pedestrian, or, very occasionally, actually stop for a few seconds if there's another vehicle approaching as well.
I think pedestrians shouldn't have to move, if they do it's "nice".....
However, I do think they should not be walking with their back to approaching cars, with cars becoming quieter every year and electric vehicles becoming more prevalent in general, it's something they need to take on board, especially if they're going to walk along a country lane with their dog on one of those stupidly long leads. :mad:“I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an a** of yourself.”
<><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><> Don't forget to like and subscribe \/ \/ \/0 -
Strider590 wrote: »I think pedestrians shouldn't have to move, if they do it's "nice".....
However, I do think they should not be walking with their back to approaching cars:
A Finnish study found that the "mean effect of facing traffic compared to walking with traffic was a 77% decrease in fatal and in non-fatal injury pedestrian accidents."
Source0
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