Tag Archives: pedestrians

Zebra Crossing etiquette – should you wave?

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Zebra crossing

Zebra Crossing etiquette - should you be thanked for stopping?

You might think that traversing a zebra crossing is fairly straightforward. As a pedestrian you cross the road when you’re ready and as a driver you stop if you see a pedestrian stepping onto a crossing and give way to them.

Rule 81 of Road Rules 2008 states that a driver must give way to any pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing. And that a driver approaching a pedestrian crossing must drive at a speed at which the driver can, if necessary, stop safely before the crossing.

The rules are pretty straightforward, but zebra crossing etiquette is not.  For example:

  • Should a pedestrian thank a driver who has stopped at the crossing even though the driver is just following the road rules?
  • If a driver does not see a pedestrian at a crossing (if a tree is for example is obscuring them) and has to stop suddenly, should they provide an apologetic wave to the pedestrian?
  • If its peak hour, people are rushing to get home and emotional temperatures are rising, you can appreciate the patience of a driver who stops at the crossing. Is a courtesy wave from the pedestrian appropriate in this instance?
  • What if a pedestrian is on their mobile phone and completely ignores the driver who stopped for them. Should they be expected to thank the driver?

It’s a grey area. What are your thoughts?

As a driver do you think pedestrians should thank you for stopping?

Bullbars – dangerous or essential requirement?

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car with bullbar

photo credit: poppalina

The Federal Government is considering adopting an international requirement which would include the mandatory redesign of vehicles that could see bullbars outlawed.

The new law would require the fronts of vehicles to be designed to reduce the severity of injuries to pedestrians in a collision.  Under Australia’s current system, this would apply to vehicles before they are sold and registered.  It’s common in Australia for bullbars to be fitted after the vehicle is sold.

There is a strong case, based on accident data, that bullbars should not be fitted to vehicles used mainly in urban areas, as animal collisions are rare and not often dangerous to the driver.

Country residents on the other hand, see bullbars as essential as they reduce damage to their cars from collisions with large animals.

NRMA believes there is no justification for the use of bullbars in urban areas.  What do you think?

Safety at the pedestrian crossing

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Due to the recent poor weather, we’ve seen an increase in the number of near misses at pedestrian crossings, with pedestrians rushing to get across the road when raining and poor visibility for vehicles.

Of course, anybody who has been on the road recently will have noticed this being a regular occurrence at pedestrian, or ‘zebra’, crossings everywhere, irrespective of the weather. Nor are near misses always the result of a pedestrian rushing across the road without looking or because a car has failed to slow down.

Rule 81 of Road Rules 2008 states: A driver approaching a pedestrian crossing must drive at a speed at which the driver can, if necessary, stop safely before the crossing. Part 2 of this rule is that a driver must give way to any pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing.

Rule 81 also states that a crossing is an area of the road with white stripes on the surface and marked with a pedestrian crossing sign. All extra signage and road-markings at pedestrian crossings are safety features not required by law.

Should the onus be on drivers to take more care at zebra crossings or should pedestrians be more vigilant? Does more need to be done to indicate to motorists that there is a crossing ahead?

Road rules for pedestrians

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The road isn’t only for motorists and cyclists - it’s for pedestrians too. As with cars, there are a number of rules, some better known than others, that govern how pedestrians use the road - as well as fines for breaking them.

Fatal crashes on NSW roads are up this year compared to the same period last year, as is the number of pedestrians killed. There have been 56 pedestrian fatalities so far this year. In the same period in 2008, 38 pedestrians were killed.

Part 14 of Road Rules 2008 covers pedestrians. Some of the key rules in this section are:

230  Crossing a road – general

  1. A pedestrian crossing a road:
    (a)  must cross by the shortest safe route, and
    (b)  must not stay on the road longer than necessary to cross the road safely.

Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units.

236  Pedestrians not to cause a traffic hazard or obstruction

  1. A pedestrian must not cause a traffic hazard by moving into the path of a driver.
    Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units.
  2. A pedestrian must not unreasonably obstruct the path of any driver or another pedestrian.

238  Pedestrians travelling along a road (except in or on a wheeled recreational device or toy)

  1. A pedestrian must not travel along a road if there is a footpath or nature strip adjacent to the road, unless it is impracticable to travel on the footpath or nature strip.

Read the full Rules for pedestrians.

Most of the Rules for pedestrians are taught to us as children. However, pedestrian deaths continue to be significant. As the road is a shared zone, it is important that all users respect and adhere to the rules to make it the safe place that it can be.

Has pedestrian education fallen by the wayside? Should the rules for pedestrians be better policed?

Making Sydney’s CBD car-free

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Lord Mayor Clover Moore plans to redesign Sydney’s CBD to make it more environmentally sustainable. Part of the proposal includes making George Street a ‘pedestrian-friendly’ boulevard from Town Hall to Circular Quay, removing the Cahill Expressway and introducing car-free ‘green zones’.

Sustainable Sydney 2030‘s Integrated Transport for a Connected City plans are intended to reduce traffic congestion in the city as “current levels of motor vehicle use to, from and within the city are unsustainable”.

Some of the changes aimed at reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion include:

  • • extending the existing light rail system;
  • • leaving George Street open only to pedestrians, bicycles and light rail;
  • • ’relocating’ the necessary surface streets so that traffic not going to the City Centre avoids going through the city;
  • • increased housing in the city to reduce the number of people needing to commute long distances to and from work every day.

By increasing public space and increasing the number of motor vehicle-free roads, it is believed that people will be more willing to walk, cycle or catch public transport rather than use their cars.

Is this a realistic solution to the city’s traffic problem? Should Sydney’s Central Business District, and the CBD’s of all Australia’s major cities, be closed to all private vehicles?