It's green so I'm going!

fastpedaller
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It's green so I'm going!

Post by fastpedaller »

I had a worrying moment today whilst using a pelican crossing...... Audible signal not working, so I looked at the traffic lights which were on red. Whilst I was crossing the car on the other side started moving (as I was directly in front of it) and then stopped - a bit unnerving. I proceeded to the shop where my car was parked, and indeed where the car went into. I was approached by lady driver, so I said "sorry to hold you up - it wasn't intentional, the lights must have changed whilst I was crossing" to be told - "you crossed when the light was green, that's why I went forward. I'd have been within my rights to run you over". I politely explained that it was red when I started crossing, and when the light changes it means you can only proceed if it's safe. "I'm feeling threatened now - I could call the Police" she said, so I responded with "ok , please call them so they can explain the legal situation to you" She of course didn't do this, and just said again "you crossed when it was green" So I just said "we'll disagree on that then, but I can assure you you can't just go running pedestrians over - they have priority". Otherwise i had a good day :roll: I'm astonished (but not surprised) that a motorist thinks this is ok.
Cyril Haearn
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Are vehicles no longer fitted with parking brakes?
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fastpedaller
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by fastpedaller »

Cyril Haearn wrote:Are vehicles no longer fitted with parking brakes?

Sorry - I don't understand your comment
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by Cyril Haearn »

fastpedaller wrote:
Cyril Haearn wrote:Are vehicles no longer fitted with parking brakes?

Sorry - I don't understand your comment

At crossings many drivers do not apply the handbrake, maybe they do not want to strain the cable
One often sees them creeping forward over the stop line
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mjr
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by mjr »

Cyril Haearn wrote:Are vehicles no longer fitted with parking brakes?

An increasing number have those electronic pushbutton fakes and there are loads of drivers who hold their car on the footbrake almost all the time, contrary to the Highway Code Rule 114.

Are some drivers no longer fitted with brain cells?
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fastpedaller
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by fastpedaller »

Cyril Haearn wrote:
fastpedaller wrote:
Cyril Haearn wrote:Are vehicles no longer fitted with parking brakes?

Sorry - I don't understand your comment

At crossings many drivers do not apply the handbrake, maybe they do not want to strain the cable
One often sees them creeping forward over the stop line

I understand now. The clutch went up, car went forward then brakes went on. I don't know about others, but when I'm driving and the lights are about to change I look both ways to ensure there are no pedestrians around who are likely to cross - as indeed I look anyway even if the stream of traffic is moving and the light has been green for some time - but I am a cyclist. To add.... that doesn't mean I'm claiming superiority, but that I'm always on the lookout, as it's second nature.
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kylecycler
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by kylecycler »

fastpedaller wrote:
Cyril Haearn wrote:
fastpedaller wrote:Sorry - I don't understand your comment

At crossings many drivers do not apply the handbrake, maybe they do not want to strain the cable
One often sees them creeping forward over the stop line

I understand now. The clutch went up, car went forward then brakes went on. I don't know about others, but when I'm driving and the lights are about to change I look both ways to ensure there are no pedestrians around who are likely to cross - as indeed I look anyway even if the stream of traffic is moving and the light has been green for some time - but I am a cyclist. To add.... that doesn't mean I'm claiming superiority, but that I'm always on the lookout, as it's second nature.

Don't try reasoning with motorists. It's pointless. ;)
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Cugel
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by Cugel »

kylecycler wrote:
fastpedaller wrote:
Cyril Haearn wrote:At crossings many drivers do not apply the handbrake, maybe they do not want to strain the cable
One often sees them creeping forward over the stop line

I understand now. The clutch went up, car went forward then brakes went on. I don't know about others, but when I'm driving and the lights are about to change I look both ways to ensure there are no pedestrians around who are likely to cross - as indeed I look anyway even if the stream of traffic is moving and the light has been green for some time - but I am a cyclist. To add.... that doesn't mean I'm claiming superiority, but that I'm always on the lookout, as it's second nature.

Don't try reasoning with motorists. It's pointless. ;)


Well, some motorists (me included) can be reasoned with. :-) But .....

Once a typical modern motorist has committed a motoring sin and then finds it challenged, they tend to become intransigent to the point where they will re-imagine the past to justify their sinful motoring act; or reinvent the law & regulations to suit themselves. If this fails, they will resort to the "everyone else does it" stance. In short, driving a car amplifies yet another poor human trait: that of not wanting to admit you have been wrong, along with all the other poor human traits such as aggression, impatience, intolerance of others et al.

So, I would reword your remark thusly:

Don't try reasoning with motorists who have just wronged you. It's pointless.

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
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fastpedaller
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by fastpedaller »

That's a very good point you raise. Thankfully no damage was done on this occasion. Thinking back, she said "it was green when you stepped off the kerb" I guess that was my opportunity to say "If you saw me step off the kerb, then why did you go?". But again, probably a waste of breath! :(
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Graham
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by Graham »

fastpedaller wrote:I had a worrying moment today whilst using a pelican crossing...... Audible signal not working, so I looked at the traffic lights which were on red. Whilst I was crossing the car on the other side started moving (as I was directly in front of it) and then stopped <snip>

You are a very polite person.
In a similar situation I would momentarily obstruct the progress to the vehicle to emphasise to point that I have every right to be there without being bullied.
Also to ensure that their mistake will actually delay their progress longer than if I had been permitted to cross safely.

I get rather annoyed when I see elderly folk scurrying across roads to avoid the ( assumed ) wrath of the drivers. Similar for parents with pushchairs.
This is all very wrong and is symptomatic of the extraordinary imbalance in road culture.

Those that bring the latent lethal force into public space seemingly manage to benefit from it on an ongoing basis.
softlips
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by softlips »

mjr wrote:
Cyril Haearn wrote:Are vehicles no longer fitted with parking brakes?

An increasing number have those electronic pushbutton fakes and there are loads of drivers who hold their car on the footbrake almost all the time, contrary to the Highway Code Rule 114.

Are some drivers no longer fitted with brain cells?



114 relates to use of lights.
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mjr
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by mjr »

softlips wrote:
mjr wrote:
Cyril Haearn wrote:Are vehicles no longer fitted with parking brakes?

An increasing number have those electronic pushbutton fakes and there are loads of drivers who hold their car on the footbrake almost all the time, contrary to the Highway Code Rule 114.

Are some drivers no longer fitted with brain cells?



114 relates to use of lights.

And brakes.
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kwackers
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by kwackers »

It's not just pedestrians, green means go for most people even when there are still cars blocking their path.
Not unusual to see cars pull off with their hand on the horn whilst the junction is still clearing.

I've seen a number of minor prangs over the years for exactly that reason, although I did see one guy manage to hit 4 cars - which is a neat trick considering he'd only travelled 10 meters.
What he failed to consider was that accelerating hard off the line with your hand on the horn panics other drivers and they don't always behave how you think they should...

Amazingly he got out of his car and was shouting his mouth off firmly in the belief he was in the right!
I don't think my statement made him look particularly good and I like to think he was subsequently prosecuted.
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The utility cyclist
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by The utility cyclist »

Summer of 2016 we had two pedestrian crossings installed in the town centre where two zebras had existed since at least the mid 90s when I moved there. This was because pedestrians were 'holding up' motorists by having the temerity in wanting to cross to the only large supermarket in the town centre and the college adjacent. This rather annoyed me as it was clear that this was giving priority and power for motorists over people on foot.
The phase now gives you eight seconds only to cross :evil: whilst it's not a particularly wide road (it's divided by a fairly wide central footway) it's utterly ridiculous how short this is for what is a very busy pedestrian crossing, now one literally has to beg to cross as opposed to motorists having to cede.
It makes me so mad how the local authority have pandered to motorists yet again at the expense of people's freedom to simply get about on foot readily and yet when it comes to projects for active travel there's no money, but they could afford two sets of lights on top of all the other rubbish they spend the money on :twisted:
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fastpedaller
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Re: It's green so I'm going!

Post by fastpedaller »

At our local Town, the zebra crossing was replaced by the pelican, and now because of quite light traffic at times (small market town) pedestrians often press the button to find that there is a large gap in the traffic and they cross safely before the lights have changed - the knock on effect is that a short while after (the ped had crossed) a moton arrives and has to stop for the red light and no pedestrians cross :lol:
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