4 ms·

Do you not have pedestrian crossings/stoplights for pedestrians in your country?

foo42 2y ago
In the UK we have various types of pedestrian crossing, but they're an optional convenience. You can use them, or you can find a safe place and time to cross yourself.
- fire_lake 2y ago
  And if no one uses them, they weren’t well designed to start with.
  - oneeyedpigeon 2y ago
    I guess the jaywalking law is partly to avoid disrupting traffic, but the most efficient cross is the one when no traffic is present, and that's more likely in the middle of the road than at an intersection.
    - fire_lake 2y ago
      Yep - prioritisation of motorists is baked in. This makes sense for freeways but in cities this should be flipped.
oneeyedpigeon 2y ago
In the UK, not at every intersection, by any means. In fact, it's probably a minority in many places. We're taught how to cross in the middle of the road.
olliej 2y ago
Of course, the question is "is it a crime to cross a road outside of those designated points" in america the answer is often "yes". Which means the only legal place to cross a road is an intersection, which is significantly less safe for pedestrians. Next time you're going for a walk, try to estimate what % of intersections or crossing points are protected (stop signs for all roads, traffic lights, or barriers). Similarly, when you're out driving try and see how much you slow down for each intersection (ie non-jaywalking crossing points) - this is not a judgement on driving style this is just about working out relative safety. Any unprotected intersection you go through without significantly slowing down (think dropping to parking lot speed) for is a location where crossing away from the intersection is safer. Safety for pedestrians crossing a road is primarily from collision avoidance - as I said in another comment the amount of damage from a pedestrian vs vehicle collision high at even "low" car speeds.

In the UK we have various types of pedestrian crossing, but they're an optional convenience. You can use them, or you can find a safe place and time to cross yourself.

fire_lake 2y ago
And if no one uses them, they weren’t well designed to start with.
- oneeyedpigeon 2y ago
  I guess the jaywalking law is partly to avoid disrupting traffic, but the most efficient cross is the one when no traffic is present, and that's more likely in the middle of the road than at an intersection.
  - fire_lake 2y ago
    Yep - prioritisation of motorists is baked in. This makes sense for freeways but in cities this should be flipped.

oneeyedpigeon 2y ago

In the UK, not at every intersection, by any means. In fact, it's probably a minority in many places. We're taught how to cross in the middle of the road.

olliej 2y ago

Of course, the question is "is it a crime to cross a road outside of those designated points" in america the answer is often "yes". Which means the only legal place to cross a road is an intersection, which is significantly less safe for pedestrians. Next time you're going for a walk, try to estimate what % of intersections or crossing points are protected (stop signs for all roads, traffic lights, or barriers). Similarly, when you're out driving try and see how much you slow down for each intersection (ie non-jaywalking crossing points) - this is not a judgement on driving style this is just about working out relative safety. Any unprotected intersection you go through without significantly slowing down (think dropping to parking lot speed) for is a location where crossing away from the intersection is safer. Safety for pedestrians crossing a road is primarily from collision avoidance - as I said in another comment the amount of damage from a pedestrian vs vehicle collision high at even "low" car speeds.