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0 pointsthrowaway1737388d ago0 comments

When you’re walking the stop sign stops traffic for you so it’s a lot nicer. I’ve found that even with a marked crosswalk people ignore you if they’re not forced to stop.

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6 comments · 2 top-level

dwroberts7d ago· 3 in thread

I guess jaywalking stuff makes this harder? Because in the UK for example, roundabouts will often be surrounded by marked areas for pedestrians to cross, but they are not proper crossings. You don't have to wait or expect traffic to stop for you, you just walk across when it's clear.

rconti7d ago

I don't understand your comment.

* Jaywalking makes.. what harder?

* In the UK, roundabouts are marked with areas for pedestrians to cross but they are not crossings? What are they, then?

* You don't have to wait

* But also you can't expect traffic to stop for you

* What do you do if it does not become clear?

dwroberts7d ago

> Jaywalking makes.. what harder?

Crossing the road without a crossing or light or whatever explicitly telling you that you can do it.

> In the UK, roundabouts are marked with areas for pedestrians to cross but they are not crossings? What are they, then?

They are indented areas where the road (and often the centre barrier just before the roundabout) is marked for pedestrians but traffic is not obligated to stop. You cross the road when it is safe

> What do you do if it does not become clear?

If it was such total gridlock you can just cross in between traffic that is not moving?

gs177d ago

It's much better when there's no traffic. When there's traffic, it often doesn't stop for you when it exits the roundabout (even if it technically should) because everyone is busy going around the circle as fast as possible (and driving in a circle means they might not have been looking at where you crossed). Sometimes they move the pedestrian crossings way back to give people more of a chance to stop, but that still requires drivers to stop when they don't feel forced to.

gs177d ago· 1 in thread

And as a pedestrian, drivers going around a circle aren't necessarily going to see you until they're already exiting, even if the city didn't put something large in the center that entirely blocks their vision. Plus, you lose the ability to know which way a car is likely to go until it's already too late.

When I lived in Nashville, I spent a lot of time near a roundabout, and even after they redid it to be a bit better I still had to avoid it for my own safety. The light-controlled intersection next to it was much less of a problem.

dwd7d ago

The rule in Australia for roundabouts is that you give way to anyone already on a roundabout.

From an advanced driving course I got to do years ago (for free), I learnt that the pedestrian island counts as part of the roundabout, so a pedestrian crossing or on the island should be given way to finish crossing when entering the roundabout [1].

Doesn't always happen in reality.

There is also this idea in Australia that you always give right of way to cars entering on your right (left for US) which is not an actual rule; as in if you are waiting at the line you count as being on the roundabout.

Unfortunately, you will often see cars on the major road blast through a small roundabout with no regard to anyone waiting to enter from the lesser road, making entering the roundabout from that side a stop rather than an equal give way.

[1] Edited for clarity

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