Jaywalking uk

markyone

It seems to me that pedestrians in the uk can just do what they like when crossing the rd giving motorist and cyclist not much chance of avoiding them.
I was cycling in the high st last sat when a woman just walked straight out in front of me with no warning whatsoever and nearly hitting her.
The crossing was 10 meters away but just could not be bothered to use it.
If you hit them in the uk either cycling or in a vehicle its always the cyclists or drivers fault and not the pedestrian,you then face the chance of being prosecuted for
careless driving etc.
Pedestrians constantly just walk out in any part of the rd with what seems to be no worry at all and its getting worse,especially when they are looking at there phones.

frisbee

Once they start getting flattened by electric cars they'll get off their phones and start looking both ways again.

FishFish

Yes they can get away with it and they do as well being on the phone and being provocative. And if we hit them our fault and increased insurance premium for ever. And it is not symmetric as it seems to me that there is much less aggressive driving than in last century. Excepting the Mile End Road in Dhaka, East London.

Can't speak for the North as they are probably too poor to afford cars.

trivial_poursuivant

markyone wrote:

I was cycling in the high st last sat when a woman just walked straight out in front of me with no warning whatsoever and nearly hitting her.

Were you riding wanton & furiously?

debeli

I see no need of this in the UK. As a pedestrian I have had to abide by laws about where I can or cannot cross the highway in The US, ex-Yugoslavia, Germany and elsewhere. As a motorist and cyclist in those countries I have noticed no improvement through the strict marshalling of pedestrians.

All road users have some responsibility to be aware ot and protect other road users through sensible and couteous walking, riding or driving. That should be enough.

A Jaywalking law in the UK would further strengthen the perception in some parts that we are a pro-car hegemony. And... it would bring no benefits.

trivial_poursuivant

Many states in the US are banning the use of phones while crossing the road. If there were an overarching rule that states it's illegal to cross a road junction on zebra crossing while otherwise distracted it could help. If the police push so hard for texting while driving to be prosecuted then it works both ways.

markyone

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

markyone wrote:

I was cycling in the high st last sat when a woman just walked straight out in front of me with no warning whatsoever and nearly hitting her.

Were you riding wanton & furiously?

No i was just pottering through to meet the lads for our club ride.

mfin

Have you got a bell on your bike?

Cyclists can't been heard as much as cars, or seen as much. If you're that concerned, maybe get a bell and do everything you can to be heard and more visible. Otherwise, it is what it is innit, it's happened now.

jgsi

You can law make all you like, but does it actually make any difference?
There will always be someone out there to fu ck with your life.

markyone

mfin wrote:

Have you got a bell on your bike?

Cyclists can't been heard as much as cars, or seen as much. If you're that concerned, maybe get a bell and do everything you can to be heard and more visible. Otherwise, it is what it is innit, it's happened now.

Its not a case if i got a bell on my bike or not,what i am saying its not the first time with pedestrians just walking in the rd
without giving a shit,but if you hit one you will be prosecuted

pblakeney

Last time I checked, speeding was not only against the law, but easily punishable.
Does it make any difference?

mfin

markyone wrote:

mfin wrote:

Have you got a bell on your bike?

Cyclists can't been heard as much as cars, or seen as much. If you're that concerned, maybe get a bell and do everything you can to be heard and more visible. Otherwise, it is what it is innit, it's happened now.

Its not a case if i got a bell on my bike or not,what i am saying its not the first time with pedestrians just walking in the rd
without giving a shoot,but if you hit one you will be prosecuted

Yeah, I hear what you are saying.

It's not right saying that you will be prosecuted though, it could happen, but if so then what actually happened will be looked at and conclusions drawn.

It won't be the last time a pedestrian walks out on you if you cycle near pedestrians. If you want to lessen your chances of hitting one of these ones that walk out unaware of you then you can always try to make yourself more seen and heard like I said. And/or slow down, and/or treat everyone like they might just walk out on you.

If hitting them doesn't bother you but prosecution does, then make sure it is not your fault at all, your case would be strengthened if you had done your best to be seen and heard and are not going too quickly.

sungod

^^^this

in london you have to ride on the assumption that everyone else is a malicious twunt out to get you

alternatively, if a pedestrian walks out without looking...

they're not sleep walking, it's a deliberate act, they had the option to pay attention and avoid putting others at risk

instead, they chose to risk your life

get off bike

slap them, hard - it's provably self defence, they just put your life at risk

get back on bike, depart


my work here is done

mouth

frisbee wrote:

Once they start getting flattened by electric cars they'll get off their phones and start looking both ways again.

No. About 4 hours ago a youth stepped in the road in front of my vehicle with absolutely zero consideration and we were within millimetres of contact. I was driving a double decker bus. There's no way he didn't see or indeed hear me. I know this because he looked at me before he stepped out. He just didn't care. Were it not for the fact I was already at walking pace due to crowded city centre filled with pi$$heads I'd be reciting this story with a solicitor next to me rather than through my keyboard.

pblakeney

Mouth wrote:

frisbee wrote:

Once they start getting flattened by electric cars they'll get off their phones and start looking both ways again.

No. About 4 hours ago a youth stepped in the road in front of my vehicle with absolutely zero consideration and we were within millimetres of contact. I was driving a double decker bus. There's no way he didn't see or indeed hear me. I know this because he looked at me before he stepped out. He just didn't care. Were it not for the fact I was already at walking pace due to crowded city centre filled with pi$$heads I'd be reciting this story with a solicitor next to me rather than through my keyboard.

Darwin's theory of evolution in practice?
Everything is too safe these days. We need a new threat to cull the dumb out of the species.

keith57

Walkers and pedestrians (and cyclists) have priority in my book. No-one owns the road.

Where I live I sometimes have to walk down the quite narrow country lane that passes by our house. Often a car will be going a some pace towards us, if you immediately jump into the hedge they never slow down and can pass by very close well over the 30mph speed limit. If you hesitate they have to come to a full stop and then pass by slowly or let you walk past, all much better really.

When driving the same road myself I very often come to a halt and let the pedestrians walk by the stationary car. Going very slowly is almost mandatory, very often I avoid a head-on-collision with another car, not used to the road, who are going far too fast for the conditions.

In towns I apply the same principle, soft bodied pedestrians have priority. On my bike or in my car it's my job to avoid hitting anyone by riding or driving appropriately.

mouth

PBlakeney wrote:

Mouth wrote:

frisbee wrote:

Once they start getting flattened by electric cars they'll get off their phones and start looking both ways again.

No. About 4 hours ago a youth stepped in the road in front of my vehicle with absolutely zero consideration and we were within millimetres of contact. I was driving a double decker bus. There's no way he didn't see or indeed hear me. I know this because he looked at me before he stepped out. He just didn't care. Were it not for the fact I was already at walking pace due to crowded city centre filled with pi$$heads I'd be reciting this story with a solicitor next to me rather than through my keyboard.

Darwin's theory of evolution in practice?
Everything is too safe these days. We need a new threat to cull the dumb out of the species.

Fixie riders?

cougie

I tells ya evolution has stopped. You can be as dumb as a post and still get through life fine with the safety net of society.

As a result stupid thrives. Look at Brexit and Trump.

tangled_metal

An extended family member got run over by a double decker. Not a good time for the extended family. Do please be aware for every "stupid" who doesn't "get through life fine" and is culled out of the species there's family. Just saying.

mouth

Tangled Metal wrote:

An extended family member got run over by a double decker. Not a good time for the extended family. Do please be aware for every "stupid" who doesn't "get through life fine" and is culled out of the species there's family. Just saying.

I do feel for your family, and not all are stupid (ie don't really care) but do make a momentary lapse.

Without going into details (note not an incident involving me) I've seen a colleagues life ruined by someone who literally just stepped out in front of him. For every 'stupid' who doesn't beat Darwin there's also someone behind the wheel who is often blameless. This guy ended up surrendering his whole license (car too) to the DVLA after more than a year of counselling and now works in ASDA. I've always told myself that if I were ever involved in something like this, as long as I knew I was at no fault I'd just get by. I'm not necessarily convinced by this any more.

No RTC is pretty, but so, so many could be avoided. A driving instructor once told me "...there's no such thing as an accident, but plenty of collisions that someone (or more than one person) failed to plan for..."

shimanobottombracket

frisbee wrote:

Once they start getting flattened by electric cars they'll get off their phones and start looking both ways again.

I doubt it. Dullards are breeding much faster than evolutionary selection can get rid of them.

rpherts

mfin wrote:

Have you got a bell on your bike?

Cyclists can't been heard as much as cars, or seen as much. If you're that concerned, maybe get a bell and do everything you can to be heard and more visible. Otherwise, it is what it is innit, it's happened now.

Presumably he would have to be ringing the bell constantly, which would be tiresome.

rpherts

And no "jaywalking" law please, there are enough pointless and stupid laws in this country already. No-one would pay a blind bit of attention to it anyway.

arthur_scrimshaw

rpherts wrote:

And no "jaywalking" law please, there are enough pointless and stupid laws in this country already. No-one would pay a blind bit of attention to it anyway.

Since the jaywalking laws were introduced in the US under pressure from the powerful car lobby (to protect poor drivers from the stress of hitting pedestrians etc) I'd agree.

Before this it was up to the motorist not to maim and kill vulnerable road users and to drive appropriately for the conditions which imo is the way it should still be. As cyclists we especially rely on this kind of attitude to keep us safe.

Honestly, some of you posting on here sound like DM readers discussing cyclists.

bipedalconsumer

Keith57 wrote:

Walkers and pedestrians (and cyclists) have priority in my book. No-one owns the road.

Where I live I sometimes have to walk down the quite narrow country lane that passes by our house. Often a car will be going a some pace towards us, if you immediately jump into the hedge they never slow down and can pass by very close well over the 30mph speed limit. If you hesitate they have to come to a full stop and then pass by slowly or let you walk past, all much better really.

When driving the same road myself I very often come to a halt and let the pedestrians walk by the stationary car. Going very slowly is almost mandatory, very often I avoid a head-on-collision with another car, not used to the road, who are going far too fast for the conditions.

In towns I apply the same principle, soft bodied pedestrians have priority. On my bike or in my car it's my job to avoid hitting anyone by riding or driving appropriately.

I agree with these sentiments - even though pedestrians can be inconsiderate and do dangerous things, we owe them a duty of care. In central park here in NYC the city banned (most) cars from the road that loops around park about a year ago, and the result has been a substantial increase in both cyclists and pedestrians using the road, and a substantial decrease in cyclist injuries. But unfortunately, pedestrian injuries tripled in the past year, in comparison with the previous year.

Most cyclists ignore the traffic lights, many regularly exceed the posted speed limit of 25 mph, (Strava segments throughout) so there is often no way for elderly or disabled pedestrians to feel safe crossing the road. Do some pedestrians and tourists walk in the road while texting? Yes, it's pretty common, but that's not going to end anytime soon regardless of how much it may irk me.

Matthewfalle

markyone wrote:

No i was just pottering through to meet the lads for our club ride.

clubbies, eh. Think they own the road.

mamil314

'Too safe', my foot. Just slow down and get a bell.
Don't you like being able to look both ways and cross a street pretty much anywhere as a pedestrian? London would be a much lesser place to be if foot traffic was tunnelled around barriered off roads. It would feel even more tunnelly.

cookeeemonster

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

rpherts wrote:

And no "jaywalking" law please, there are enough pointless and stupid laws in this country already. No-one would pay a blind bit of attention to it anyway.

Since the jaywalking laws were introduced in the US under pressure from the powerful car lobby (to protect poor drivers from the stress of hitting pedestrians etc) I'd agree.

Before this it was up to the motorist not to maim and kill vulnerable road users and to drive appropriately for the conditions which imo is the way it should still be. As cyclists we especially rely on this kind of attitude to keep us safe.

Honestly, some of you posting on here sound like DM readers discussing cyclists.

Was about to post the same. And just look at the state of driving in this country currently, and the shockingly low amounts of prosecutions/proper sentencing even with drivers that are provably in the wrong - we don't want them to run riot even more!!!!