Numerous times lately I’ve noticed pedestrians walking straight up to the button on the yellow box of the crossing without even casting a glance up & down the road.
Today in Ripon for instance I noticed the crossing lights go to red with one bloke waiting to cross. I stop & simultaneously check behind & way ahead. Nowt, nothing, nada, just me. 30mph limit & well built up with good views of the road to his left & right.
It wasn’t like he was infirm either judging by the pace he crossed.

Have people simply forgotten how to cross a road without the aid of traffic lights?
Discuss…

i reckon folk are just scared of being run over Jim.
lights mean f all in leeds mate. for cars, bikes and people walking

It’s the bastards that stand on the curb to wait to cross that annoy me…lol

As for the lights, my Mrs is german so I’ve got used to the ‘we have to use the lights’, thinking for yourself is soooo 80’s

Some people are inconsiderate & just push the button out of habit.

multiculturalism init, in some places the feds would be after you for not using them 😉

I think drivers are increasingly ‘assertive’ about their right of way in the absence of a red light and pedestrians respond accordingly. We’re moving in the direction of scandi-style road rules conformity. Do kids no longer play ‘chicken’?

Button doesn’t do anything anyway if cars are there, what are you bothered about?

^^ a typical way local authorities encourage car use by making pedestrians third class citizens.

There are a few in Harrogate that have a huge delay – approach a busy road, press de button and wait. And wait. Then wait some more. By the time they’ve turned to red the traffic has passed. Most times I don’t bother waiting and nip across anyway (and I apologise to any drivers who then have to stop at a red light for no reason!).

There’s two methods of crossing the road here:
A) being wjthin 10ft of a Crossing and walking into the traffic dodging cars buses and pizza delivery scooters as you go

B) pushing your pram/children into the road first at random busy locations to blackmail the traffic into stopping.

I press the button even if I’m not crossing….

Or, after a few beers, jam the button down with a matchstick. Not me, obs 😉

Pressing the button will only go green in sync with the pre defined traffic light pattern.

I’m confused.. Are you suggesting you should be able to press a button and blindly walk into a live lane of traffic?

Mrs is german so I’ve got used to the ‘we have to use the lights’

Good Lord yes, I got a serious earful once in Germany for crossing somewhere other than at the lights.

Any more of these observations since you gave up full time work Jim? Idle minds and all that 🙂

My wife has developed a multiple button press technique that (where we live at least) instantly turns the lights red. I thought she was pulling my leg but it genuinely seems to work to the extent of making a light that has just gone green go red again instantly. Can’t get the timing right myself.

Button doesn’t do anything anyway if cars are there, what are you bothered about?

Well that’s odd cos the pressing of the button seemed to turn the lights to red, which made me stop. No bugger else mind cos there was only me as far as the eye could see.
I wasn’t that bothered cos I was driving a council vehicle in council time, getting paid for it. It just made me wonder why folks seem to have lost the ability to cross an empty road without pressing a button to stop any traffic that may (or may not) be approaching

I wasn’t that bothered cos I was driving a council vehicle in council time, getting paid for it. It just made me wonder why folks seem to have lost the ability to cross an empty road without pressing a button to stop any traffic that may (or may not) be approaching

When the council decided you were competent to use their vehicles they didn’t ask any questions about Rule 7 or 21-23 of the Highway Code did they? (In brief – if there is a crossing use it; press button don’t cross on a red man).

LOL @ Poly! I can tell you don’t know the Green Cross Code! HaHa!!

Mainly because they’re buried in their phones I find.

See so many people walk up to lights and press the button without the slightest look at the road.

Me on the other hand, I actively try to never press the crossing buttons, but then I’m maybe a bit odd.

I actively try to never press the crossing buttons

Yes, we must not delay our driving overlords

Possibly he pressed the button because there was traffic…you.

And then you stopped.

What was the question again?

Yes, we must not delay our driving overlords

Its nothing to do with delaying drivers i just want to cross in the least time possible.

The germany thing is hilarious nothing for miles and a whole bunch of people hanging round waiting ages for a light.

Edinburgh too actually but i think thats mainly american tourists.

I will wait if there are wee kids around to set a good example though.

i thought the thread was going to be about the problem that drivers of cars with keyless ignition have…traditionally those forced out of cars because they aren’t going to a drive thru jump out and clasp their keys in their hand to indicate to other drivers their distress at coming over all ped’ and then dash through moving traffic keys held aloft to confirm not a nutter that has walked to the shops but a fellow driver in distress

I press the button even if I’m not crossing….

Me too.

I’ve altered my route to work recently as I’ve discovered a set of lights that pretty much change to red as soon as you hit the button. It’s ace. Sometimes I’ll cross then press the button on the other side just because I can. This results in the lights letting about four cars through before turning red again. It would appear that some car drivers in general are becoming more self entitled. They need small reminders every now and then.

I had an altercation just yesterday morning. Walking (on the pavement) minding my own and a car is coming up the road at great speed. Anchors on, indicates and then tried to drive across the pavement about a foot in front of me. I carried on walking and he had to stop.

Dick head winds his window down and shouts “I’m indicating” to which I replied “It’s a pavement you **** idiot, pedestrians have right of way” this is why I press the buttons.

So confirmation above that peds can be pricks as well as car drivers, can’t say I’ve learnt anything new so far today…

Dick head winds his window down and shouts “I’m indicating” to which I replied “It’s a pavement you **** idiot, pedestrians have right of way” this is why I press the buttons.

You should see how they get when you cross in front of the idiots who have got themselves stuck in yellow box junctions.

The other week, I used a pedestrian crossing because the road was quite busy. Traffic lights went red, I crossed the road safely, but then a self-entitled driver at the front of the queue decided to drive off a good ~5 seconds before the lights went green. I hope the camera was active and they received some mail.

Because an amber light seemingly no longer means stop but means boot the accelerator to beat the lights. And a red light no longer means stop for the first 1 second but nip through fingers crossed, I don’t want to get caught at the lights

Did you know there is a little oojit that sticks out of the bottom of the box – this spins when it is safe to cross, which allows the visually impaired to have a tactile signal indicating they can proceed. (/trafficlighttrivia)

Pelican with flashing amber after red you can proceed with caution if no one crossing. Though I’ve seen two instances recently where someone decided they can proceed on red.

Anyway, numerous times been at a crossing with a phone zombie waiting there and they haven’t even pressed the button. They just assume it’s automatic (though some crossings have cameras that detect people crossing and will change or continue the lights on red if someone is crossing or being slow).

And a red light no longer means stop for the first 1 second but nip through fingers crossed, I don’t want to get caught at the lights

Probably the first thing I noticed moving back here was thr highway code had been ammened to mean turning red = 2 more cars.

Anyway, numerous times been at a crossing with a phone zombie waiting there and they haven’t even pressed the button. They just assume it’s automatic

Lots of junctions are on a cycle anyway, pressing doesn’t do much or somebody already has. Add in people might not be from the UK and the whole thing is a bit of a jumbled mess.

I always wondered if you approach a crossing in your car and the lights turn red, but there is no-one waiting to cross, would you get done for going through the red?

I always wondered if you approach a crossing in your car and the lights turn red, but there is no-one waiting to cross, would you get done for going through the red?

Are you in a rush, is that meeting too important to miss, are you an MP?

Of course the lights only matter if there is somebody there, give it a go next time, post some dash cam footage up of doing it!!

Are you in a rush, is that meeting too important to miss, are you an MP?
Of course the lights only matter if there is somebody there, give it a go next time, post some dash cam footage up of doing it!!

?? Just asking. Jeez.

Think of the planet, all that unnecessary breaking and accelerating.

Am I misunderstanding the OP or is he complaining that pedestrians use pedestrian crossings in the manner for which they were designed?

if you approach a crossing in your car and the lights turn red, but there is no-one waiting to cross, would you get done for going through the red?

Yes. Just like you’d get done for going through a junction on a red light even if there was no opposing traffic.*

*provided police are watching, and can be bothered.

*provided police are watching, and can be bothered.

so no then…

There were huge delays a few months back on the A27 at Lewes when a pedestrian crossing on the westbound lanes went haywire constantly cycling red and green giving enough time for one car at a time to go through. It’s a crossing that is very necessary to get across but used very infrequently (I’ve never had to stop for it) so the traffic was constantly stopping for a crossing that had absolutely no one anywhere near it.

I always wondered if you approach a crossing in your car and the lights turn red, but there is no-one waiting to cross, would you get done for going through the red?

Yes.

Which is a PITA as there is a crossing on the A78 right at a roundabout that invariably turns to red in time to watch the peds disappear around the distant corner having already crossed. Right place to put it but the signal time obviously needs to be sped up.

Is confused. Based on empirical observation of London drivers I’d assumed that they can go wherever they like, whenever they like, at whatever speed they like, regardless of pedestrians or (especially) cyclists that are already (legally) occupying that space?