Advanced Driving Hub

It has been very quite in here lately. I'd have thought with many of you not being able to ride/drive, you'd all be wanting to 'talk' about it.

So here's one to discuss. You are riding/driving along a NSL dual carriageway and see this sign. What does it mean. Who/what is it for or about? What do you do about it?

I would image that it means the same as this one:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.8654362,-0.0471713,3a,75y,110.79h,79.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1srOmofooyXwIdt-BudWJePQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

or this one:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.8655272,-0.039095,3a,75y,256.98h,105.02t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sql2eYRngsKNA0eqJMjBwyw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Perhaps it means exactly what it says?

It means that some scared pedestrians may be about to launch themselves into the carriageway in front of you, you are prewarned to expect them (oddly enough, about 500m downstream).

They (although they're unlikely to know) should be following the guidance on this in CIS53, which suggests walk don't run, don't carry anything heavy, and allow 3s per lane.

Or have I missed something?

I've been doing some walking locally exploring cut throughs, alley ways and paths through parks and posting some of them on Facebook. Has generated a lot of discussion, with people offering up unusual walking routes. One involved such a crossing.

I'll admit I'm truly shocked by these. I can say with all honesty I'd always considered those signs to refer to people servicing/maintaining the infrastructure (electricity sub stations etc.) that are usually located nearby. It had never crossed my mind they are for every Tom, Dick or Harry walker, or cyclist pushing/carrying their bike. Everyday's a school day!

So other than look for peds which I have always done, do you ease up, or just plough on with everyone else?

Probably look for people, then plough on with everyone else

Actually what I do is to try and identify where the crossing point is, sometimes a gap in the central barrier.

From a driving perspective, farm animal crossing warning is more worrying, they probably have less road sense ...

GTR1400MAN wrote:I'll admit I'm truly shocked by these. I can say with all honesty I'd always considered those signs to refer to people servicing/maintaining the infrastructure (electricity sub stations etc.) that are usually located nearby.

The triangular "pedestrians in the road" warning sign ...

GTR1400MAN wrote:It had never crossed my mind they are for every Tom, Dick or Harry walker, or cyclist pushing/carrying their bike.

... and "pedestrians crossing" ...



... are two different things. There is a small clue in the word "crossing"?

GTR1400MAN wrote:Everyday's a school day!

Oh yes. :nods:

Basically, it means the new road crosses a public footpath and they didn't have the sense/money to install an underpass or footbridge

Generally there will be a break in the centre armco, a section of overlap, and often it will be possible to spot this from some distance in advance. When you see the overlap, you will almost straight away see where the crossing points are for each carriageway, and then look across to the other side of the carriageway.

If you are forewarned you can be prepared to slow down as required.

Strangely Brown wrote:... are two different things. There is a small clue in the word "crossing"?

Yes, I know what the signs mean. Though I've found that many are not signed! What I originally meant was that the crossing would only be used by maintenance type people, who one would hope are a bit more 'switched on' than the average pedestrian regarding safety and probably dressed in PPE. I'll certainly be upping my game when I see these signs in future, though I won't be making any of these crossings by foot!

Gareth wrote:Generally there will be a break in the centre armco, a section of overlap, and often it will be possible to spot this from some distance in advance.

This is the sort of thing Gareth was describing. Though notice how there is no clue at the side of the road with this one.

Part of the work I've been involved with, up to 2016, has been stopping maintenance operatives crossing live lanes. For the last few years, on the Highways England network, any instance of live lane working (such as the quaintly named 'stamp and dash' for pothole repairs) or live lane crossings, has had to be logged and reported.

https://trl.co.uk/aiming-zero-side-signs-removal