its not an april fool. we have to let peds cross in front of us when turning into a road. tried it today and we all had to wait while i needed to beckon him on[ not ideal]
let me know how you get on with this
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And us cyclists have got to ride in the middle of the lane.
That should go quite well.
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>> And us cyclists have got to ride in the middle of the lane.
>>
>> That should go quite well.
It does.
"in certain circumstances" is the wording which is what I and a lot of others do already, without it seeming to cause me any undue problems; although I have had a 'punishment' pass when I allowed the overtake, which actually confirmed to me that the driver in question would indeed have passed me round a blind bend had I given him any encouragement.
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In my judgement, nothing much has changed except that it seems to have intensified hatred of cyclists.
There's a balanced report here, which is nothing like the hysterical story in the DM.
www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/24/common-myths-about-what-uk-highway-code-changes-will-mean
I even heard some prat on the radio ranting that drivers would be fined £1,000 if they opened their doors without using the Dutch Reach. He's wrong. That is a "should" in the new HC, not a "must".
Taking-the-lane is advice to cyclists that has been around for years, and is commonly observed.
Most controversial seems to be the 'right' of peds to cross minor roads at junctions. This used to say that peds have priority if they are crossing, and it still does. In addition, it will now say that the ped has priority if "waiting to cross" - a bit like a zebra crossing I suppose. If I see someone doing that I will often wait anyway just in case they do step off the kerb. Time will tell if pedestrians start throwing themselves in front of traffic.
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Most of it is about being able to prove you took reasonable care in the event of something bad happening.
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I don't imagine this gives pedestrians licence to blithely step out in front of approaching vehicles, or cyclists to do similarly. Even the most ignorant realise that the outcome of a collision between flesh and steel tends to favour weight not the soft and squidgy!
It does reinforce the behaviours of drivers to pay greater attention to the needs of other more vulnerable road users.
If it morphs into "the driver is always wrong" then I would form a different view. Perhaps a dash cam would be useful.
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Our local fascist thinks cycles should have number plates (and pay "road tax" of course) so that they can be traced after an accident like drivers, and they should be held accountable.
I told him cyclists are very accountable, sometimes to the point of being deaded, and there's no need for number plates, the cyclist will be the one lying in the road waiting for the ambulance.
Pirrock.
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>>Deaded...
Halloween 2019. Was in London and got a call that a family friend had been killed on his cycle whilst out in Oxford. He was 58. He was a keen cyclist.
The driver pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and got 5 years and 4 months in prison and was disqualified from driving for 5 years.
Two lives and more b******d up really.
Last edited by: zippy on Fri 28 Jan 22 at 20:07
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Not totally.
My friend, aged 34, was hit by a cyclist on a zebra crossing. He broke her hip in four places, the fourth when he called her an extremely rude word for staying on the road then pulled her up and dropped her. When he realised that passers by were calling 999, he got on his bike and left. It was life changing for her, as a fashion model who also did a lot of leg work for ads plus, of course, no income for quite a while.
Obviously in 1987, not covered by cttv, as it would be today in many locations.
Last edited by: DeeW on Fri 28 Jan 22 at 22:20
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>> Our local fascist thinks cycles should have number plates (and pay "road tax" of course)
>> so that they can be traced after an accident like drivers, and they should be
>> held accountable.
>>
Yes, one encounters such people far too frequently on socials or Daily Mail columns. And of course the traceability of number plates stop all car drivers ever committing an offence. Ever.
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>> Our local fascist thinks cycles should have number plates (and pay "road tax" of course)
>> so that they can be traced after an accident like drivers, and they should be
>> held accountable.
It isn't worth having a discussion with people like that.
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I mentioned in the last thread in which this was raised that pedestrians very much have right of way in Portugal. So much that they can and do walk out without looking, and motorists will slow/stop on approaching a crossing if anyone is near to it, even if they don't look like they are about to cross.
A dash cam might work against you if you didn't show due regard for a pedestrian or cyclist. whatever the logic of metal v. flesh.
It's only a matter of education I suppose.
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Out for a walk yesterday in Eastbourne and waiting to cross with a friend at a junction , a car turning right into the road stopped and waved us across.
I gave the elderly chap at the wheel the thumbs up to acknowledge which he returned with a smile. I am sure that he must have been aware of the new regulations....
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Happens all the time round here, drivers often let people cross the road, junction or no junction. Not lived here long but it's nothing new I think.
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I think most drivers retain a vague awareness that peds crossing minor roads at junctions have some sort of priority, even if they don't recall the exact wording - which is basically that if they are crossing, you allow them to do so. I generally let them cross even if they just look as if they want to, and as you say many drivers do.
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If I am turning right into a main road, I try and let them cross before I make the turn. But if someone turns up on the curb just as I am turning right I am NOT hanging the rse end of my car out in a fast main road to let them cross.
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>> If I am turning right into a main road, I try and let them cross
>> before I make the turn. But if someone turns up on the curb just as
>> I am turning right I am NOT hanging the rse end of my car out
>> in a fast main road to let them cross.
I was thinking more of a left turn, but yes situations differ and I wouldn't want to delay a left turn on a fast A-road either - fortunately I think this arises much more commonly on urban roads.
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>> If I am turning right into a main road, I try and let them cross
I meant of course from a main road into a side road.
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To expand on the change a bit, the code now says that drivers must give way to peds crossing, and should give priority to peds "waiting to cross" (my bold).
"Must" is the one that has force of law. So I think there's probably enough flexibility there to excuse us from having to do an emergency stop for someone waiting at the kerb when we have a loaded 8 wheel tipper up our chuff.
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give way to pedestrians - Duncan
