cyclist vs pedestrian - who has right of way

unholyangel wrote: »

I don't think the part in bold is true. The most obvious danger is to their own life but its not the only danger. They could knock a pedestrian off their feet, or could easily cause a RTA when a driver has to suddenly take evasive action to avoid them because of the bad visibility.

Not to mention damage to car/property.
Plus, the driver will still be at fault, however invisible the cyclist was.

unholyangel wrote: »

Wondering if this is a variation on the misconception that drivers are always at fault for incidents involving pedestrians? Or was it a more tongue in cheek comment?

No, I got it from a policeman a couple of weeks ago, when this very question came up at a road safety seminar I was attending.

Pyxis wrote: »

No, I got it from a policeman a couple of weeks ago, when this very question came up at a road safety seminar I was attending.

unholyangel wrote: »

What was the question? Who's fault if you're in a collision with a cyclist?

Unless he said it would depend on circumstances, I'd seek a 2nd opinion elsewhere. There is no presumed liability in "uk" law - bike campaigners are pushing for it (have been since the 90's tbh) but it hasn't been enacted or even discussed in parliament afaik.

He did add that the cyclist would be dealt with as well, for riding without lights, but he was adamant that the car-driver would be charged with something like driving without due care and attention, or similar.

Some of the audience did question this, but his answer was always the same.

I suppose that the reasoning would be that even if the cyclist had no lights, if the driver was driving at a speed commensurate with the conditions, and paying proper attention to the road ahead, he would see the cyclist in his headlights.


There is one road I travel down on my way home, which isn't very well lit, it is narrow, with parked cars along one side. It is a route for people walking back from a theatre/cinema complex, possibly after having had drinks in the bar too. Those people are very rarely dressed in light clothing, and have a tendency to jay-walk and cross the road suddenly.

They are very hard to spot in the distance.
Add into the mix a couple of cyclists with either no lights or feeble lights, and you will understand why I creep along this road at 15-20 mph, at night, when the speed limit is 30.

NBLondon wrote: »

I was under the impression that on a pedestrian crossing (zebra or pelican) the pedestrian definitely does have right of way. Maybe it's a London thing - but I do find a significant minority of cyclists assume that they can ride through as long as they don't actually hit any pedestrians.... Less than an hour ago, I was on a zebra with traffic stopped and a cyclist decided to overtake sorry "filter" past the stopped cars, onto the zebra across in front of me and a woman crossing in the opposite direction, then up the dropped kerb to continue filtering along the pavement. All at the same speed.

MAMIL? No. Courier with a Mad Max fixation? No. 20-something woman in Primark velour track suit and headphones.

I am pretty sure you are right, that the pedestrian does have right of way on a zebra crossing. In fact, I think it is also the case that if there is a pedestrian waiting to cross at a zebra crossing, cars are obliged to stop.


I'll see if I can find out for sure.


I know that in a lot of countries on the continent, the pedestrian does not have right of way on a zebra crossing, or the same right to halt traffic; the crossing is just advisory, so you have to take the law (and your life!) into your own hands sometimes, in order to get across, or else you could be there all day!




Edit....
The Highway Code confirms that pedestrians do have right of way once they have stepped onto the crossing.
If they haven't yet stepped on, it just says to be ready to slow down or stop to them cross.



"195
Zebra crossings.
As you approach a zebra crossing
look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross
you MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing
allow more time for stopping on wet or icy roads
do not wave or use your horn to invite pedestrians across; this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching
be aware of pedestrians approaching from the side of the crossing.
A zebra crossing with a central island is two separate crossings (see pictures in Crossings (18 to 30)).
Law ZPPPCRGD reg 25"

What was interesting was the regulation about whether a cyclist can ride across a crossing (i.e. to cross the road) or whether they have to dismount and walk across.

In the cyclist's defence, the rules are mixed.

They can ride across a Toucan crossing (but only when the green man is displayed) but not across a zebra, pelican or puffin. For those, they have to dismount and walk across.

Who knows the difference between a pelican, puffin and toucan crossing?

Also, they can ride across if there are cycleways on either side of the crossing, thus making the crossing shared use between cyclists and pedestrians.

So, sometimes they can, and sometimes they can't. A bit confusing.