People stepping in front of you

Dis86

Dis86

Dis86

Caporegime
Joined
23 Dec 2011
Posts
33,005
Location
Northern England
So...had two incidences today of people stepping out in front of me.

Cycling to work in the morning. Straight, flat road. No traffic. Riding from the west. Woman with two dogs crosses from the opposite side straight in front of my path meaning I have to slam on the anchors.
I politely said "good morning" at which point she looked up and said "Oh sorry, I didn't see you there". At this point sarcasm kicked in and I pointed out that yes, I can understand it must be hard to see a 6ft tall bloke in hi-vis on a bright green bike on a clear morning.

The second was out in the truck around 1pm and I'm approaching a ped crossing. 3 women standing there all 50-60ish. Lights clearly green for me, red for them. One woman just walks straight out in front of me. ABS kicks in. She then just stands in the middle of the road because the traffic on the other side is flowing too freely. The other 2 women looked shocked as did the guy coming the other way who she nearly walked out in front of.

Now the thing is, if I'd hit either of those women I'd have been blamed.

What's curious is the second one happened at the same location as this:

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/new...lant-driver-knocked-over-grandmother-14965805

Am I the only one thinking that if you're going to step out in front of moving traffic, whether car or bike, you kinda deserve what's coming to you?
 
Had some moron with their head buried in a mobile walk straight into the side of my car not long back as I was waiting to pull out and turn left. And they then had the audacity to start loudly ****** and jeffing at me for laughing at them.
 
Yes the number of low quality pedestrians on roads is increasing exponentially. I see people with children crossing the road like absolute morons every single day. It has a chain reaction, their kids will be walking across roads with their eyes closed like they own the roads, then their kids will do the same until they learn the hard way and become a statistic.

Also there must be some kind of mandate to make roads more dangerous because roads are just getting ridiculous now, they seem to be either designed by absoule morons or evil geniuses. Especially the ones where they have a raised footpath joining kerbs on the opposite sides of the road it makes people not want to look left/right and just keep walking and cross the road blindly.
 
See it in my car and on my bike more and more. It's all very well having a bell on your bike, but if the pedestrian is a phone zombie with headphones on, what chance do you have?

Slightly controversial opinion, but does anyone else think it's gotten worse since the rise of the ambulance-chasing, no-win, no-fee, accident lawyer firms? I grew up to respect roads and still am cautious about crossing busy roads away from a designated crossing, but increasingly I see people stepping out in front of me seemingly with a "Yeah, if you hit me it'll be your fault, what're you doing to do about it" look on their face, and have become much more emboldened.

The rabid anti-cyclist lobby fuelled by the likes of the Mail and Express do not help either. I try to be a safe, responsible cyclist and indeed I loath the behaviour of a sizeable proportion of other people on bikes, but I still get tarred with the same brush.
 
If it sounds quiet then 9/10 people will just step out into the road because everything on the road has a roaring motor, right? I don't cycle that often but when I do I see it again and again. I don't get how people can be so absent minded. They've never come close to getting me since I always anticipate it, but I take great pleasure from feigning a last second swerve and putting a little scare up em.
 
Dis86 said:
People stepping in front of you
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QEII can relate.

gyi_997871812.jpg
 
It is not just other road users who have these problems, us pavement users are also affected by these tonks, I have no problem with the elderly who are struggling to get along as old age and its sometimes difficult effects to mobility can and probably I'll affect us all. But the phone zombies are a surge but worse than them are the the phone zombies with a child's pushchair they are so dangerous to life and limb.
 
Kronos said:
It is not just other road users who have these problems, us pavement users are also affected by these tonks, I have no problem with the elderly who are struggling to get along as old age and its sometimes difficult effects to mobility can and probably I'll affect us all. But the phone zombies are a surge but worse than them are the the phone zombies with a child's pushchair they are so dangerous to life and limb.
Click to expand...
The phone zombies are worse when you are the one with a pushchair trying to avoid them all
 
Unfortunately in Brum it's become a "Badge of Honour" confrontation starter for the "youfs", they just walk straight into the road regardless of oncoming, walk as slowly as possible and stare straight at you. I have to guiltily admit that on more than one occasion with particularly obnoxious toerags I've unclipped from my pedal and left a trailing leg into the side of their leg; a risky maneuver if I time it wrong as it has the chance of pulling me off the bike but the little ***** need some consequences.
 
When I first moved to Germany, I found the total aversion to jaywalking annoying. People will say something if you cross on a red, particularly if kids are around.

I cycle to and from work every day and never have these problems as everyone sticks to the lights.
 
I get this a lot too and it is a woman thing. Supermarkets in particular with trolleys, they have almost zero spacial awareness (exceptions accepted ofc).

I have also found male drivers to be far more considerate in stopping to let people cross. I did a little social experiment some years ago (as always had cross a short 3 way junction). Can't remember exact figures but know men virtually always pulled back from the junction turn to allow you to cross but there were maybe just 2 women who did the same.
 
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