Cyclists

[Chara021]

I agree with you and 100% when the green man flashes it indicates it is safe to cross.
It's like a red light it 100% means you should stop.
One caveat for me is that when dealing with drivers you are always dealing with adults ,either licenced or unlicensed drivers.
With pedestrians it can be any age ,many people when kids get to a certain age of responsibility will allow their kids walk home from school alone or in a group or with a friend.
That's my reason for questioning the placement of crossings . A child will see the green and trust it and this should always be the case but authorities should have cognisanse of potential dangers and if they can help alleviate or lessen potential accidents happening then why not do it.
This also goes for stopping distances at crossings it should be further back from crossings same as parking close to crossings.
As you say ,careless driving ,phone use ,distraction ,lack of road awareness is rife and people need to cop themselves on behind the wheel .

Absolutely! That's an interesting point about stopping distances being further back. That could make a difference maybe ? Although if a driver was that distracted they would probably go through that as well.
I'm not convinced anything can be done except reiterate about keeping your eyes and mind on the road.

 

[Happyhonkaman]

I agree with you and 100% when the green man flashes it indicates it is safe to cross.
It's like a red light it 100% means you should stop.
One caveat for me is that when dealing with drivers you are always dealing with adults ,either licenced or unlicensed drivers.
With pedestrians it can be any age ,many people when kids get to a certain age of responsibility will allow their kids walk home from school alone or in a group or with a friend.
That's my reason for questioning the placement of crossings . A child will see the green and trust it and this should always be the case but authorities should have cognisanse of potential dangers and if they can help alleviate or lessen potential accidents happening then why not do it.
This also goes for stopping distances at crossings it should be further back from crossings same as parking close to crossings.
As you say ,careless driving ,phone use ,distraction ,lack of road awareness is rife and people need to cop themselves on behind the wheel .

I am always trying to drill it into my kids heads that you need to check if it is safe to cross regardless of the green man being lit. Ive posted it on here before, the chances are that if they are ever knocked down it will be crossing at a green light and being hit by an elderly driver doing 30kph in a small car! I see it so often where I live as there is an aged community, it only happened about 2 months back again to myself and the dog almost got it, an aul fella just drove straight through the lights after we had waited and started crossing, oblivious to the fact that he had. 2 girls got knocked down at the entrance to our estate about 8 months ago by an elderly driver who somehow veered off the road and hit them standing at the lights, waiting for the green man. The light post itself saved them from far worse than broken bones.

This is the thing about people excusing mistakes etc. When one of those older drivers does mush a child people will be telling us all about no one intending or meaning to kill anyone, but there are numerous families here who know that their father/mother is no longer fit for driving yet they have them on the roads.. and you'll hear the conversations about how great they are driving at 90. Maybe some are, but lots are not

I check myself before I start cycling when the green light comes on - its not to check if someone ois going to break the light, its to see how many will. The average is 2 but you'll often get a third car barrelling through.. they are the same dickheads that will be insisting they never 'meant' to kill anyone.. well you did, it just happens to be that you got away with it a load of times before

 

[El Guapo]

I agree with you and 100% when the green man flashes it indicates it is safe to cross.
It's like a red light it 100% means you should stop.
One caveat for me is that when dealing with drivers you are always dealing with adults ,either licenced or unlicensed drivers.
With pedestrians it can be any age ,many people when kids get to a certain age of responsibility will allow their kids walk home from school alone or in a group or with a friend.
That's my reason for questioning the placement of crossings . A child will see the green and trust it and this should always be the case but authorities should have cognisanse of potential dangers and if they can help alleviate or lessen potential accidents happening then why not do it.
This also goes for stopping distances at crossings it should be further back from crossings same as parking close to crossings.
As you say ,careless driving ,phone use ,distraction ,lack of road awareness is rife and people need to cop themselves on behind the wheel .

You see this kind of design structure often.

Where you have a junction or round about and a begging button 50m back from it.

St Lukes Cross springs to mind for that one

Or Junctions where the green man is only on three sides to try and force pedestrians to cross the road twice or three times to get where they are going

All to impact on drivers as little as possible.

What level of compliance do they get I wonder?. 50% maybe. People will always take the easiest not the safest route. That is why there are paths across fields.

Maybe every footpath should automatically have a zebra crossings and a begging button to stop traffic. Maybe we should activate prioritise pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. it seems that way in France and The Netherlands, not 100% but a much higher proportion than here.

Or maybe you're right. I don't know.

 

[Chara021]

I am always trying to drill it into my kids heads that you need to check if it is safe to cross regardless of the green man being lit. Ive posted it on here before, the chances are that if they are ever knocked down it will be crossing at a green light and being hit by an elderly driver doing 30kph in a small car! I see it so often where I live as there is an aged community, it only happened about 2 months back again to myself and the dog almost got it, an aul fella just drove straight through the lights after we had waited and started crossing, oblivious to the fact that he had. 2 girls got knocked down at the entrance to our estate about 8 months ago by an elderly driver who somehow veered off the road and hit them standing at the lights, waiting for the green man. The light post itself saved them from far worse than broken bones.

This is the thing about people excusing mistakes etc. When one of those older drivers does mush a child people will be telling us all about no one intending or meaning to kill anyone, but there are numerous families here who know that their father/mother is no longer fit for driving yet they have them on the roads.. and you'll hear the conversations about how great they are driving at 90. Maybe some are, but lots are not

I check myself before I start cycling when the green light comes on - its not to check if someone ois going to break the light, its to see how many will. The average is 2 but you'll often get a third car barrelling through.. they are the same dickheads that will be insisting they never 'meant' to kill anyone.. well you did, it just happens to be that you got away with it a load of times before

Ya I agree with you there, but I don't think anyone excuses a mistake per se.

There will always be dickheads on the road who consistently do the wrong thing. It's only a matter of time before they don't get away with it. Saying they didn't mean to kill someone doesn't wash when it's something they do all the time. Only the person themselves know what bad / dangerous driving practices they allowed themselves get into. Unfortunately, or perhaps someone in the passenger seats.

 

[Blue Jasmin]

Why would I be upset, he didn’t express anything in my direction.

How he is my sidekick?
Because he agrees that Moynihan should have got a longer sentence and is fully responsible for the poor child’s death?
That isn’t a sidekick, that is a genuine caring individual

Please don't feed the troll.

 

[yellowsliotar]

Please don't feed the troll.

Thanks for advice, side kick
taken on board.

 

[Blue Jasmin]

Thanks for advice, side kick
taken on board.

I'm not you're sidekick.

I plough my own furrow.

I'd advise you to do the same.

 

[Meridian]

You see this kind of design structure often.

Where you have a junction or round about and a begging button 50m back from it.

St Lukes Cross springs to mind for that one

Or Junctions where the green man is only on three sides to try and force pedestrians to cross the road twice or three times to get where they are going

All to impact on drivers as little as possible.

What level of compliance do they get I wonder?. 50% maybe. People will always take the easiest not the safest route. That is why there are paths across fields.

Maybe every footpath should automatically have a zebra crossings and a begging button to stop traffic. Maybe we should activate prioritise pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. it seems that way in France and The Netherlands, not 100% but a much higher proportion than here.

Or maybe you're right. I don't know.

This video actually shows how close the site of that terrible accident is to the roundabout.

Whoever thought it was a good idea to put a pedestrian crossing there carries some of the blame also.

 

[yellowsliotar]

This video actually shows how close the site of that terrible accident is to the roundabout.

Whoever thought it was a good idea to put a pedestrian crossing there carries some of the blame also.

There is no some of the blame, the only one to blame is the one that drove through the red light.
100% of the responsibility lies with him.

 

[markyboy]

This video actually shows how close the site of that terrible accident is to the roundabout.

Whoever thought it was a good idea to put a pedestrian crossing there carries some of the blame also.

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