Tag Archives: road rules

Your road, your rules

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The road rules govern the interaction of pedestrians and motorists. While they are there to make the roads safe for all road users, they will always be the topic of debate.

The rules are put under even more scrutiny when a new rule is made or an old rule is amended to respond to the changing nature of vehicles, technology and the road itself.

But imagine, for a moment, that you are in charge. You can roll out the rules you want and scratch those that you don’t. Now is your chance to alleviate your frustration, get where you’re going on time and improve traffic flow.

It’s your road, so you make the rules.

If you were given the job of designing a road and the road rules that go with it, what rules would you make? What rules would you keep and which would you discard?

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 in shopping centres

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Road rules don’t only cover the roads we drive on – they also cover road related areas that are open to or used by the public for driving, riding or parking and this includes shopping centres.

Consequently these road related areas are covered by parking, speed limit, overtaking and signage rules.

It also means you can be penalised for breaking them. For example, driving over the speed limit could result in being fined and losing demerit points. So, if you are doing 40km/h in a 20km/h zone, you will be eligible for a $197 fine and the loss of 3 demerit points.

You will also be penalised accordingly for not giving way where appropriate, for double-parking and for driving against the direction indicated on a one-way sign.

Shopping centres can enforce parking infringements, however all other rules must be enforced by the police.

View Rule 13 from Road Rules 2008 for more information.

What do you think of driver behaviour in shopping centre car parks? Should there be stronger enforcement of the road rules in ‘road related areas’ like car parks?

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?

The lost art of indicating

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Indicating is the act of using your blinker to show other motorists that you intend to change your course of direction. It is not a courtesy, it is the law. Despite this, road users are being surprised by the movements of motorists who did not indicate.

The Road Rules 2008 states that before changing directions, a driver must give a change of direction signal for long enough to give sufficient warning to other drivers and pedestrians.

Rule 45, ‘What is changing direction’, of the Road Rules 2008 reads:

(1) A driver changes direction if the driver changes direction to the left or the driver changes direction to the right.

A driver changes direction by doing any of the following:

(a) turning
(b) changing marked lanes
(c) diverging
(d) entering a marked lane, or a line of traffic
(e) moving to the right or left from a stationary position
(f) turning into a marked lane, or a line of traffic, from a median strip parking area
(g) making a U-turn
(h) at a T-intersection where the continuing road curves—leaving the continuing road to proceed straight ahead onto the terminating road.

Read the full rule here.

Failing to indicate can result in a maximum $2,200 fine at court and the loss of two demerit points. The severity of the fine is indicative of the seriousness of not using your blinker to warn other road users of your movements. Not indicating is dangerous not only at high speeds on motorways but at all times on all roads.

Have you encountered the problem of motorists not indicating? Do you think it is becoming more of an issue on our roads?