This morning's commute and other commuting stories

some hilarious ladladlad passenger in a rental transit tried to 'prank' me with some top bantz with the "you dropped something" while I was in the middle of crossing the road at a toucan crossing last week. I knew I hadn't and a cursory glance behind me confirmed as such without having to even slow my speed. what absolutely japery. L O L

he didn't find it so funny when I called him a dopey cunt, in fact he got quite shouty. shame I was riding straight into a narrow off-road cycle route so they couldn't follow me if they tried.

You should've faked picking up some money and gone "fuck yeah! this wasn't even mine!"

I informed a woman riding a sweet Bob Jackson the other day that she had dropped an ID card, thing is, I wasn't 100% sure it was an ID card or whether it was definitely hers. Just saw a card fly from her general direction. Really hope I didn't send her on a wild goose chase.

Red lights are only for people who pay road tax.

Haha, I should use that. I'd cut my commute in half, screaming "I'm only using the infrastructure my zero road tax has paid for".

Averaged 21mph on the way to work today, sweet tailwind/10.

What are people’s thoughts on zebra crossing? I’ll slow and generally roll over once the ped has passed. I had one today where I came up to a crossing, people were crossing from both directions. As they crossed over in the middle and a gap presented itself I rolled over. However there was a couple of peds approaching the crossing on one side. I think the bloke saw and decided he would diagonally enter the zebra crossing, so stepped into the road not the zebra, aiming for me and saying ‘no no no no’. I cycled past him and said ‘you weren’t even on it you fucking prick’ and carried on.

I am respectful of zebra crossing, however I will roll over them if they are clear even if a ped is still on them.

Did lol

You give way to people crossing, not people about to cross

I am respectful of zebra crossing,

however I will roll over them if they are clear even if a ped is still on them.

The latter contradicts the former.

But without in anyway impeding the ped, crossing it after the ped has cleared you? Well if that is wrong then I don’t want to be right. The space can be shared safely.

You give way to people crossing, not people about to cross

They don't have to be in the road to have started "crossing". You still need to give way to people who want to cross but have not yet set foot in the road.

You only need to give way when they are on the crossing. You should look out for people approaching but the HC does not say you need to give way to them. Of course, I reckon you should out of courtesy stop if you see someone approaching or waiting.

195
Zebra crossings. As you approach a zebra crossing

look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross you MUST give way **when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing**
allow more time for stopping on wet or icy roads
do not wave or use your horn to invite pedestrians across; this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching
be aware of pedestrians approaching from the side of the crossing.
A zebra crossing with a central island is two separate crossings

I saw a white Mercedes car give way to a van pulling out of a side road on my walk to / from nursery this morning.

I nearly choked on my flat white in shock

I'm with @Jimmy_Fingers on this. If they've passed you, on you go. The above doesn't make clear when you can move again, so it seems its up to you to proceed when safe to do so.

The only thing I'd alter with your approach is calling them a fucking prick. They are, but to maintain the moral high ground a slur that avoids swearing would be preferable. Turbo tosser, or something like that.

Plane tree seeds WHY.

Also: broken spoke WHY.

(Actually, I know WHY. I drive through everything and just unweight. Stupid and lazy.)

I thoroughly approve of putting quotes from the Highway Code in code tags. :)

I didn't, I just copied and pasted!

You only need to give way when they are on the crossing.

Sorry, wasn't clear enough. I think I remember seeing a case where it was argued that "the crossing" included the tactile areas on the pavement, which would really mess with the HWC as it is currently worded (HWC rules 18 and 19 more so). Will have a dig around...

That would make more sense, and I'm sure not the first time the HWC wording was considered ambiguous.

It looks like code, though.

Did you not have ``` around it?

nope

I only have the one zebra on my commute, south of Vauxhall Bridge. Generally take a similar view that once people are past me I'll proceed but I approach it pretty slow from the downhill - see loads of people just bomb it across regardless of whether there's people there which seems like a dick move.

Great ride in this morning despite everyone's best efforts to embroil me in carnage - suicidal school girls at the crossing 'it was a green man!', it definitely wasn't; coach / white van man collision outside Victoria; and those still a bit dosey from the cycle commute hibernation cutting across here there and everywhere.

each of the five lines just had 4 spaces at the start, removed those and it looks "normal" now.