To cross or not to cross?

CKhalvashi

Well done!

I'm normally running across the road between council offices/a local cafe when I'm doing anything community-wise.

Something my conscience did get me on yesterday morning was the temptation to hit kickdown as I got on the M11 with someone elses kids in the car (my kids are at a Russian school in London, and I had someone elses, too on Weds night). It instantly struck me that whilst I'm happy to do 90mph down a sliproad with my own kids in the car (knowing what both my driving and my car is capable of), I feel a sense of duty not to do it until I'm in lane 3 of the M11 with someone elses kids?!

Average speed yesterday morning = 46.8mph (it's normally in the low-mid 50s), and average MPG was 42.7 (normally in the mid-high 30s)....I may be tempted to wait around again, as technically just those trips is £20 of fuel a week up, and I didn't get there any slower.

I'm the same with smoking in my car......

I'd better get some actual work done and get off MSE for a bit!

CK

bratz81

I probably would have waited for the green man too - actually I'd have been so surprised and pleased that someone was actually teaching their children road safety I'd have wanted to support them!!

Where I live hardly anyone crosses the road safely, adults or children, they all just walk into the road whenever suits them. I'm beginning to think I'm the only one with road-sense!

Hmm71

madmayo wrote: »

OH you definitely did the right thing . something i always do as i have spent many years with my own kids waiting patiently. I still do it now without my kids being by my side. I have obviously drummed it into myself tip wait for the green man.

but my VENT is at the other crossings,
near to where I live, there is a puffin, pelican , zebra crossing ( not sure which one it is,......its got persistant flashing orange globes either side of it ) which was installed a couple of years ago to help kids get to the park!
As a good parent always took my daughter to the crossing.. What for?? to be nearly run over on many occasions. Cars DO NOT STOP!!.. I am not a driver but to my knowledge they are supposed to stop arent they??

what beggared beleif one day. with my daughter I went to the crossing ( I always tell her to make sure the cars stop because I know what drivers are like on the road. However. The car coming down the road started to slow down and nearly to a halt so we started to cross and out the bue a car over takes hin and misses me andmy daughter by inches and he still proceeded to carry on down the road!!
i can tell you I cam out with a few expletives!!

The moral is not to trust any crossing!! still use the old fashioned green cross code!!
And I apologise for any spelling mistakes as im typing in the dark and cant see the keyboard!!!

My dad told me, many, many years ago, that drivers don't have to stop at a zebra crossing unless you have actually stepped onto it. I don't know how true that is though. Not that it always makes any difference anyway as a couple of years ago I nearly got run over when I was halfway across a zebra crossing. Some dozy mare in a 4 by 4 was too busy chatting on her mobile to notice me.
"Zebra crossings. Give traffic plenty of time to see you and to stop before you start to cross. Vehicles will need more time when the road is slippery. Wait until traffic has stopped from both directions or the road is clear before crossing. Remember that traffic does not have to stop until someone has moved onto the crossing. Keep looking both ways, and listening, in case a driver or rider has not seen you and attempts to overtake a vehicle that has stopped."
Just found that bit from The Highway Code.

doodle-bug_2

Well done for waiting.
I had a similar experience, but with a blind person and guide dog. I was rushing and didn't notice that the person was blind. I stepped off the kerb (on a red pedestrian light) and glanced down. The dog was looking at me with such a pained expression of disgust that I stopped and stepped back again!:rotfl:

Now, I always wait if there is a parent teaching kids to cross - or a guide dog!

Grandmama

My friend who is a Grandad got a right telling off by me in the middle of a town! Busy road, nice zebra crossing at the bottom of a hill, Grandad limping , using a walking stick. I am ahead of him walking on pavement downhill with his young granddaughter, we get to the crossing to await Grandad. Look back and see him crossing the road, slowly, just below the brow of a hill and a car just slamming on it's brakes as it came over the hill. He wasn't even walking straight across but in a diagonal formation. This man is supposedly intelligent. He got a telling off from me and his grandaughter! He's been very good since!

NBLondon

Good question IBK:) If I'd noticed the mother and kid, then I might have done the same, but to be honest, I might well have not noticed them and used my own judgement as usual.

bratz81 wrote: »

Where I live hardly anyone crosses the road safely, adults or children, they all just walk into the road whenever suits them. I'm beginning to think I'm the only one with road-sense!

One thing I see a lot in London is people who cross diagonally across the road for the shortest path between 2 points- especially commuters who have just grabbed a bucket of coffee-coloured slop and have 90 seconds to get to their train so aim directly at the station door and think the black and white stripes on the road are a fashion thing...

The really bad one was about ten days ago when I turned into my road to see a chap ambling across it at about a 15 degree angle (that's 15 degrees from the line of the road!) with a phone in one hand and a toddler in the other. I came to a stop, the kid looked round at the car and the "adult" just tugged him along blindly.

bratz81

NBLondon wrote: »

The really bad one was about ten days ago when I turned into my road to see a chap ambling across it at about a 15 degree angle (that's 15 degrees from the line of the road!) with a phone in one hand and a toddler in the other. I came to a stop, the kid looked round at the car and the "adult" just tugged him along blindly.

That is one of my big bugbears. I hate people who cross the road in front of traffic with a child/dog/etc with them. I mean if you want to run across and put you're own life at risk feel free but if you are responsible for another life then for goodness sake act responsible!

sharnad

I won't. Ross if there's nothing. I in and it's not green. I prefer to wait the extra few seconds

Gavin83

As a backup to what I said I've probably crossed thousands of roads in my life. During that time I've been hit by 1 car and about 20 cyclists. Every single one of those was on a crossing while the green man was showing.

I think teaching children it's safe to cross when the green man is showing is dangerous as it doesn't necessarily mean all vehicles will stop. Sure, it's an extra safeguard but isn't a failsafe.

Azari

Gavin83 wrote: »

As a backup to what I said I've probably crossed thousands of roads in my life. During that time I've been hit by 1 car and about 20 cyclists. Every single one of those was on a crossing while the green man was showing.

I think teaching children it's safe to cross when the green man is showing is dangerous as it doesn't necessarily mean all vehicles will stop. Sure, it's an extra safeguard but isn't a failsafe.

Did your guide dog not see the cyclists?

I've similarly crossed roads thousands, if not tens of thousands of times and never been hit by anything. Ever.

But then I take responsibility for my own safety by actually looking to see what the traffic is doing rather than relying on coloured lights.