Re: Pedestrians give way to cars

[David McLoughlin <davemcl@REMOVEiprolink.co.nz>]

Roderick Smith wrote:
 
> David McLoughlin wrote:
> Auckland New Zealand, the only city in the world where you will find signs
> at pedestrian crossings which say: "Pedestrians give way to traffic."
 
> There are similar signs at  Box Hill (Victoria, Australia).
> Carrington Rd (parallel to the railway, on the southern side) was recently
> decorated in a Chinese temple theme, with traffic chokes.  Signs warn
> pedestrians to give way to cars at these points, but there are no signs
> telling cars this, so they stop because of psychology: the design looks
> like a proper pedestrian crossing.  This results in confusion, delays and a
> risky situation.


The worst problem in New Zealand is that there is not a culture of
motorists stopping for pedestrians at a crossing. Pedestrians are
required to wait until there is a gap in the traffic, unless some
motorist stops for them, and few do. Other motorists will abuse drivers
who do stop, and even drive round them, if there is room (a problem
which has been addressed in a fashion by building raised concrete
islands like tram safety zones in the middle of the roads where
pedestrians can shelter while waiting for a gap to cross the second half
of the road... the idea is that motorists will not drive over these
islands for fear of ripping out their exhausts or whatever).

I marvel when I visit Australia, the US or European countries how
motorists come to an immediate  halt if I even loiter near a pedestrian
crossing, let alone approach one with the intent of crossing.

Only this morning, my wife and I spent a nervous five minutes with our
three children, trying to get them safely across Broadway in Newmarket
(a very busy two-lane road) in Auckland at a crossing with the
"pedestrians give way to traffic" sign. After a couple of minutes we got
to the island in the middle, then after a further lengthy wait, a woman
driver actually stopped to let us get the rest of the way. Few men would
ever stop. I presume she was a mother and sympathised with us. There was
also an old man with a walking stick whom I was terrified would be run
down as he was so slow. He said to us as we waited in the island in the
middle "I was in Canada last year and there, drivers have to stop for
pedestrians."

I will ALWAYS stop for pedestrians on crossings but I seem to be some
kind of oddball here.

David McLoughlin
Auckland New Zealand