Advanced Driving Hub

akirk wrote:

gannet wrote:I think my bike is legal, but even so there are several near misses each week with pedestrians who just don't look to their right when approaching the middle of the road - or don't even look either way because facecrap is more important... Most times I've already spotted them walking between the stationary traffic but not always if they choose to walk in front of a van or HGV (yes I know...)

now put yourself into those scenes at the wheel of a car instead of on a bike - what would your thoughts be?

Alasdair

a car wouldn't fit

the same?

sorry it winds me up - EVERY road user should take responsibility for their own safety. As soon as a pedestrian steps into the road they become a fellow road user. Sure we all make mistakes, but pedestrians seem to treat the roads they are crossing as a simple inconvenience rather than the danger they really can be. I've had near misses, but they have been misses because my speed is always such that I can stop. When I do so and suggest to them they might consider using the crossing not 20m up the road or I dunno looking before crossing, I get abuse, never an apology - why? I tend to keep stum...

I wonder if it is because, in the UK, we do not provide sufficient places where:
A pedestrian can see it may be somewhere safe to cross the road.
Plus, a driver or rider can expect the find people crossing the road.

The attached is an old document but, in my opinion, still relevant:

http://www.theaa.com/public_affairs/new ... urvey.html

gannet wrote:...
I think my bike is legal, but even so there are several near misses each week with pedestrians who just don't look to their right when approaching the middle of the road - or don't even look either way because facecrap is more important... Most times I've already spotted them walking between the stationary traffic but not always if they choose to walk in front of a van or HGV (yes I know...)

Do you not have a bell/air horn?

crr003 wrote:

gannet wrote:...
I think my bike is legal, but even so there are several near misses each week with pedestrians who just don't look to their right when approaching the middle of the road - or don't even look either way because facecrap is more important... Most times I've already spotted them walking between the stationary traffic but not always if they choose to walk in front of a van or HGV (yes I know...)

Do you not have a bell/air horn?

I considered an air horn but decided it might be too obnoxious and they are bulky (my bike has to fold)... the bell is next to useless as it barely registers above their headphones...

I'll leave these here. I know who's at fault (and could have avoided the collision), but the pedestrians didn't help themselves.

yup, that about sums it up...

GTR1400MAN wrote:I know who's at fault (and could have avoided the collision), but the pedestrians didn't help themselves.

Bike, in both cases, imho. Particularly in the second one, but both were filtering too fast given the stationary traffic.

Perhaps my words didn't make my opinion clear.

In the first, you don't pass buses/lorries like that where you can't see what/who might pop out.

In the second you can even see it developing and he had loads of time to slow / stop.

Both could have been avoided by both riders and both pedestrians.

Yes, of course, pedestrians were behaving rather like lemmings, but as you say, in the second you can see the lady turn on the pavement and start to walk out and the bike doesn't even attempt to slow down. However, no injuries, and perhaps lessons were learnt on both sides.

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:

GTR1400MAN wrote:I know who's at fault (and could have avoided the collision), but the pedestrians didn't help themselves.

Bike, in both cases, imho. Particularly in the second one, but both were filtering too fast given the stationary traffic.

Absolutely. In the second clip the biker could, or should have seen the pedestrian stepping out between the stationary vehicles.

Nigel.