Cars not stopping at crossings

Mrs_Imp

Since having my son, just over a year ago, I've noticed a worrying trend. When we wait at zebra crossings about 40% of the time a car refuses to stop, even when it could have done (yesterday it was a white van with the driver on his phone), and at pelican crossings, about 20% of the time a car will speed up and shoot through as the lights turn to red, and several times I've had a green man and a car has still shot through. I now wait for any cars approaching to either make eye contact with me or to come to a complete stop before I cross the road. I'm sure that must annoy drivers who think I could've been halfway across by now, but there have been occasions where I HAVE been halfway across, and had to pull the pram out of the way of a car who zooms past me. One time I started to cross, as the driver had slowed down, then she sped up, again leaving me pulling my son out of the way. (sorry, turned in to a rant when I didn't mean to).
Has anyone else experienced this, or is it only in Buckinghmashire where it happens so much? I'm a bit curious, as I know that driving styles are a bit different in different parts of the country.

Lum

I'm a little confused by your post. Are you talking about a zebra crossing (black + white stripes accompanied by a flashing orange light) or a pelican crossing (no stripes, push a button, wait for green man)

If it's a zebra crossing then technically drivers only have to stop if a pedestrian is already on the crossing. You can work around this by placing a foot on the crossing, this "claims" the crossing and then drivers are legally obliged to stop.

If it's a pelican crossing this is more worrying. The lights pointing toward the drivers change to red a few seconds before the pedestrian lights turn green, most likely to deal with exactly this sort of situation. So we are talking about people blatantly breaking the law by driving through on red.

That said, I used to live in Aylesbury and, compared to my current location, the drivers there are definitely a lot more selfish and inconsiderate than where I currently live.

There was a study posted in another thread on this forum that concluded that rich people are more likely to be inconsiderate drivers than poor people, which may well have something to do with it.

I'm also convinced that driving standards are inversely proportional to population density.

Mrs_Imp

Hi Lum. It happens at both zebra crossings and pelican crossings, and it is in Aylesbury!

I wouldn't really be able to do the 'putting a foot on the crossing' as it would mean pushing my son in to the road, and I'm not prepared to do that.

I always take the view that cars outside the zig zags when I reach the crossing should have enough time to stop for me, so when I say cars aren't stopping, it's not like I'm getting there and expecting everyone to screech to a halt.

One car waited until I had crossed the road at a pelican crossing, before zooming through between myself and the old lady behind me. We still had a green man!

On another occasion at a zebra crossing, there were 2 lanes in each direction. The cars in lane 1 stopped, car in lane 2 could clearly be seen thinking 'ooo, if I speed up I can get past all these slow cars' I had started to cross, and stopped for her. She eventually saw me and did an emergency stop, coming to rest exactly where I would have been if I hadn't stopped. A colleague was in hospital for around 18months because of a similar situation. They waited before charging the driver, as they weren't sure if it would be death by dangerous driving.

So if you're ever driving through Aylesbury and a silly woman at the crossing is taking ages before she crosses, smile and wave at me.

Strider590

I've been hit twice (nearly thrice) by drivers not stopping for pedestrian crossings. Both times I jumped up onto their bonnet as they skidded to a halt, both times they gave ME a load of abuse for being in the road and both times they realised they'd run over a bodybuilding enthusiast and very quickly calmed down

More recently a driver failed to stop at a marked pedestrian crossing at my local supermarket and sent a young ladies shopping trolley (full of shopping bags) hurtling 20metres through the air, they were very quickly surrounded by shoppers as they made a bid for escape

The worst are what I call "wannabe middle class", who genuinely believe that they have ultimate right of way at all times. They actually don't believe they could ever do anything wrong, they drive huge "Chelsea tractors", they drive too fast and they drive as though other road users are inferior beings.

Your average white van man does at least know he's driving like a c*nt, you have to respect that dedication.

The only drivers that i've never had issues with at pedestrian crossings, is the elderly, because I know they drive with tunnel vision and so I never cross the road in front of one (even if they signal for me to do so).....
But I imagine it'd be a bit like something from "The Matrix", you'd have adequate time to do a little dance, make a cup of tea and pull a few silly faces before safely jumping out of the way. :rotfl:

spadoosh

Ive had a few occasions as a driver where i have been very close to hitting people at zebra crossings. (not trying to start a war) And on all of those occasions its been a case of checking the crossing is clear for someone to either halt and do a 90 degree turn to walk staight out or because someone who looks like there waiting for a bus decideds not to cross untill my car was hitting the black and white lines.

I frequently stop at zebra crossing when there is a lot of traffic because if a van is near it quite often you will not be able to see the other side of the crossing (iykwim) were kids or anyone for that matter could be crossing and i wouldnt know. Another occasion at 5.30 in the morning someone had pressed the button at a pelican crossing (before anyone was even near) waited fro it to go to flashing orange my side (flashing green his) again i was a good hundred yards or so away from the junction doing 30ish and only managed to avoid him by swerving accross the road, if it was rush hour slightly busier i wouldve (rephrase that he wouldve) caused an accident.

Any way point is car or no car, some people just dont think.

Lum

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

Hi Lum. It happens at both zebra crossings and pelican crossings, and it is in Aylesbury!

I wouldn't really be able to do the 'putting a foot on the crossing' as it would mean pushing my son in to the road, and I'm not prepared to do that.

I'm glad to hear that bit. I'm always reminded of a favourite trick of young mothers when I lived in Liverpool. You'd have a crossing with a waist-high fence that you couldn't see through, there would be someone walking along the pavement toward the crossing, and suddenly.. pram comes out of nowhere (previously hidden by the fence) as they swing it into the road and stand with their feet on the curb.

Problem with those fences is that to a pedestrian they look see through, but when you're driving, the individual posts overlap each other and they become opaque.

You could keep the pram/chair sideways and put your foot on the road if you wanted to try and claim the crossing. It might make some people stop?

I always take the view that cars outside the zig zags when I reach the crossing should have enough time to stop for me, so when I say cars aren't stopping, it's not like I'm getting there and expecting everyone to screech to a halt.

It's a tricky one. They're not required to and given teenagers seem to like loitering around zebra crossings you can end up stopping and looking like an idiot as they don't intend to cross.

I guess you're standing a fair way back from the actual crossing if you are keeping the pram in front of you, so if the crossing is fenced (or the driver is an idiot and hasn't noticed the pram) you might look like you are just hanging around in the vicinity rather than standing at the edge of the road waiting to cross. Again, maybe holding the pram sideways and standing close to the edge could help?

Please don't take this as criticism of you, you are right that people should stop, it's just a suggestion that might get more people to stop for you.

One car waited until I had crossed the road at a pelican crossing, before zooming through between myself and the old lady behind me. We still had a green man!

If the old lady was still on the pavement and you had exited the crossing and that was a flashing green man then they are actually allowed to do that. Otherwise they were just an a-hole.

Mrs_Imp

Regarding the old lady behind us. It was still a steady green man. The driver was just being silly.

Pram-wise - I hate mothers who use their children as weapons to cross the road! It terrifies me when I drive. As for not seeing us, well, the pram is big, shiny, green, and chrome. It's not easily missed at all!

I'm usually quite patient, as I know how easy it is to be watching the car behind for a second then realise too late that there's someone at the crossing. But stupidity is the excuse of most of the drivers who don't stop :rotfl: One poor chap drove through the crossing and I could see his wife starting to lay in to him (verbally) He'll not do that again any time soon.

It's certainly made me think about how to teach my son road safety. 'When there's a green man, double check that the cars are stopping before you cross the road'

Lum

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

Pram-wise - I hate mothers who use their children as weapons to cross the road! It terrifies me when I drive. As for not seeing us, well, the pram is big, shiny, green, and chrome. It's not easily missed at all!

Actually you'd be surprised. Designs like that used to be used as camouflage because the bright colours mean that it gets seen but it's harder to judge it's location, speed or distance. So if it's out in front of you, it may get processed as a bloke in a high vis jacket working on a manhole 30 yards down the pavement.

The kind of usage described in the article I linked doesn't happen any more, but it comes up from time to time in discussions of motorcycle safety and why some drivers don't even see the ones wearing power ranger uniforms on brightly coloured Japanese sportbikes.

vax2002

Treat the Green man as, They might stop and you will live longer.
Or alternatively you could have the epitaph on your stone "I was in the right"

Strider590

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

One poor chap drove through the crossing and I could see his wife starting to lay in to him (verbally) He'll not do that again any time soon.

Perhaps he drove through the crossing BECAUSE his wife was nagging him and your not actually as important to them as you think?

Gavin83

Strider590 wrote: »

More recently a driver failed to stop at a marked pedestrian crossing at my local supermarket and sent a young ladies shopping trolley (full of shopping bags) hurtling 20metres through the air, they were very quickly surrounded by shoppers as they made a bid for escape

That must have done some serious damage to their car!

I've been hit on a pedestrian crossing before while the man has been green. It wasn't too hard thankfully, enough to send me on his bonnet and give me a limp for the rest of the day but he was extremely apologetic. Had he tried to blame me I think he'd have left in a worse state.

I've been hit by dozens of cyclists while on a green man though, they seem a lot worse at cutting through pedestrian crossings.