Anyone else nearly knocked down at pelican crossing

[lulu]

Today is the third time in the last few weeks that i have been nearly run over by reckless drivers at the pelican crossing at the bottom of goose green and lordship lane. Each time i have waited to cross and alert drivers accordingly. Today i was half way across when i was nearlt hit by a guy driving way toO fast. I am expecting so as you imagine i got the fright of my life. I am not sure if anything can be done but i wish people would jsut be a bit more considerate and not take stupid risks.

[Sue]

Sorry to hear this, but do you mean one of the zebra crossings? I don't know of any pelican crossing at the intersection of Goose Green and Lordship Lane? There are several now along Lordship Lane, but not right at the Goose Green end.

[uncleglen]

The pelican crossing at the junction of Townley Road is a danger if there is a large van parked there so that you cannot see round the bend such as today. It is quite nerve-racking not to be able to see even though the green man is up

[lulu]

Yes I am talking about the zebra crossing by the roundabout where the edt is. It's pretty clear to see when someone is waiting to cross. Some drivers have no intention of stopping hence why I have nearly been hit.

[Clare11]

I've almost been hit a few times on East Dulwich Grove at the crossing outside the church. Even with a pram, people are loathe to stop.

Now I just step out when they're a good distance away. Usually works best on cars that look like they'd have decent brakes. I always give them plenty of space to slow and stop.

Even had a police car not 'see' me once as I was propped at the kerb waiting for someone to stop.

The crossing at Goose Green is dicey. I find a stern stare right at the driver can help too.

[maritap]

I can imagine how you feel, I almost got knocked over there a few years ago. The driver stopped and I stepped out on to the crossing but another driver came up along side him and didn't, he could clearly see the first driver had stopped so obviously someone was crossing. I was inches away from losing my life. I still think of it and remember it clearly.

[Pugwash]

As a careful driver, coming from Grove Vale end, this zebra crossing can be a nightmare. Frequently you are caught half way over it by build up of traffic at the roundabout, you are concentrating on traffic coming from the right so that you can edge forward, and you do not always notice the pedestrian who has worked their way behind/in front of the cars to your left and they suddenly appear in front of you.

I am usually very slow approaching the zebras at the roundabout as so many people just walk out without checking the traffic - usually they are texting or talking on phones, have their music on, or just assume that cars will automatically stop once they step out onto the zebra. So many adults with prams risk their children's lives by pushing the pram out onto the zebra without waiting for cars to slow down. Yes there are and always will be those drivers who approach zebras too fast and recklessly, but some pedestrians do jaywalk.

[AD]

The one on East Dulwich Grove by Melbourne Grove is a joke, drivers hardly ever stopped and I have near;y been hit half a dozen times.

[dbboy]

take the drivers registration plate number and report to the police.

[minder]

Motorists must stop as soon as someone sets foot on a crossing.

[DJKillaQueen]

The highway code is clear regarding zebra crossings. That some drivers ignore it or worse still have no knowledge of it (in france for example drivers happily drive over zebra crossings, pedestrian on it or not) is the responsibility of the drivers concerned.

[ianr]

Rules for pedestrians (1-35)

19 Zebra crossings. Give traffic plenty of time to see you and to stop before you start to cross. Vehicles will need more time when the road is slippery. Wait until traffic has stopped from both directions or the road is clear before crossing. Remember that traffic does not have to stop until someone has moved onto the crossing. Keep looking both ways, and listening, in case a driver or rider has not seen you and attempts to overtake a vehicle that has stopped.

20 Where there is an island in the middle of a zebra crossing, wait on the island and follow Rule 19 before you cross the second half of the road ? it is a separate crossing.

[Alex K]

The highway code is clear -- the pedestrians are in the right. Dead right.

Walk defensively, folks.

[the-e-dealer]

Is this a proposal to convert them to Pelican Crossings?

[calculus]

The one on East Dulwich Grove is the worst from my experience. Cars regularly speed down there and ignore the zebra crossing. I'd say it happens about 40% of the time I cross there. Goose Green one isn't great either because of impatient drivers wanting to get round the roundabout.

[Cyberia]

Not sure I understand how a drvier can be "caught half way over it by build up of traffic at the roundabout" - surely like any crossing, you only enter it if you can clear it?

Or am I misunderstanding?

This sounds like a situation where you should stop in front of the crossing until it's clear and then join the traffic in the roundabout when there is a suitable gap.

[mikeb]

Uncleglen - agree with you re Townley Road crossing. My missus was almost knocked down the other night when someone went straight through the red light. No time to get the numberplate unfortunately.

On a similar vein, after many years of perservering. I now no longer use the Goodrich / Heber junctions with Lordship Lane - you just can't see round the parked traffic, particularly when there is a van or 4WD there.

[Twirly]

Cyberia - that's a nice theory, but it doesn't always work like that on the Goose Green roundabout, particularly when approaching from East Dulwich Road. Sometimes you think you're clear, there's no pedestrians on the zebra, you start off onto the roundabout when someone whips around from Grove Vale and gets in front of you, and you're stuck on the crossing. It's a shame there isn't enough space between the crossing and the white line for the roundabout to fit a car into.

Having said that, it's rare I approach in a car at any speed that would prevent me from giving way to someone on the crossing, and as a pedestrian, I can't say that I've ever had a problem either. Mind you, I always use my Paddington Bear hard stare on drivers when using a zebra crossing ;-)

Recently, I have noticed some drivers stopping at the red light on a Pelican crossing (or other traffic light controlled pedestrian crossing - can't remember the different types), letting the pedestrian across, and then shooting off whilst the traffic lights are still clearly red! Why do people have to be in such a hurry? And how come more of them aren't caught and done for this sort of behaviour?!

[Pugwash]

You think you can approach the roundabout as no cars indicating from outside Just William side that they want to go round to east Dulwich Road, you are half way over when some idiot drives up fast without indicating and you have to stop dead to prevent being hit

[peckhamboy]

That whole junction is terrible, both for drivers and pedestrians. Drivers have to be constantly watching cars in the lane next to them, cars approaching on the roundabout, cars having to stop dead in front of them because someone's crossing the next zebra crossing, and also keep an eye out for pedestrians - including a huge number who don't actually use the crossings anyway. Why on earth those rossings weren't sited 5-10 metres away from the roundabout i have no idea - it would give drivers so much longer to spot pedestrians and mean they can concentrate just on traffic when entering and exiting the roundabout.

[the-e-dealer]

I think its because pedestrians don't want to walk the extra few yards. Maybe some sort of lights would help. even traffic lights?

[henryb]

Strange thing in terms of actually accidents it is one of the safest junctions in ED. No serious or fatal injuries in the last 10 years. Maybe that is because drivers have to concentrate on what they are doing and watch out for pedestrians.

[Robbie1]

Someone was knocked down at the "Pelican" crossing situated at the Co-op on Lordship Lane on Saturday 29th September. I was stood right next to the lady before she stepped out and into the path of an oncoming car. I think the main problem at this crossing is that there doesn't seem to be the usual green/red man alert light. Pedestrians were waiting for the traffic to stop and then suddenly this lady stepped out with an almighty bang when the car hit her. Fortunately she wasn't too badly injured but the the amount of pushchairs and young children crossing on the road it is only a matter of time before something more serious happens...lets hope the authorities look at the crossing and install clear indicating lights for pedestrians to know for sure when it is safe to cross.

[Cora]

Yes, why are the lights like that? Weird new design....

[Sue]

Robbie1 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think the main problem at this

> crossing is that there doesn't seem to be the

> usual green/red man alert light.

xxxxxx

There is, but it is on the kerb where the pedestrian is standing, on the part where you press the button, rather than across the road.

I had assumed that this was to make it easier to see for people who might have visual difficulties.

However I agree that if you are used to the old design, it is hard to get used to looking in that place.

It's probably a good idea to look for the lights to turn red for the cars, anyway (which happens before the pedestrian signal turns green in any case), and make sure nothing is speeding towards the crossing and likely to go through the red, before starting to cross.

Shouldn't have to, but there are so many rubbish drivers these days :(