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From: Nick Finnigan on 11 May 2010 15:52 Mortimer wrote: > > Agreed. If there was another, universally-accepted signal in place of > headlamp flashing, I'd use it, leaving headlamp flashing for its proper > purpose as described in the HC. > > But a signal of some sort is needed. "I will wait for you - you may go A signal which means 'I intend to stop on the left' perhaps?
From: Mortimer on 11 May 2010 16:14 "Nick Finnigan" <nix(a)genie.co.uk> wrote in message news:hsccia$gfc$1(a)news.eternal-september.org... > Mortimer wrote: >> >> Agreed. If there was another, universally-accepted signal in place of >> headlamp flashing, I'd use it, leaving headlamp flashing for its proper >> purpose as described in the HC. >> >> But a signal of some sort is needed. "I will wait for you - you may go > > A signal which means 'I intend to stop on the left' perhaps? I'm not sure whether left indicator is the correct signal. If you do it as you approach a junction, traffic behind might assume you are turning left and overtake you (I know they *shouldn't* overtake on the approach to a junction). And if you stop for a pedestrian on an straight bit of road, there isn't even the "don't overtake near a junction" rule to prevent them. An indicator might not be sufficiently visible to cars and pedestrians who need to see it, so there will be more "is he or isn't he slowing down for me" indecision, though I suppose if left-indicator=I will wait for you became enshrined in the HC or in common practice, people would start to look out for it. Headlamp flashing is much more conspicuous and can often be seen out the corner of the eye even if the driver/pedestrian who it is intended for happens to be looking in the opposite direction to check the other stream of traffic. And it needs to be "I intend to slow down to create a gap but I will probably *not* be stopping unless I misjudge the timing of it" signal. It's rare that I actually stop when I'm letting anyone out, if I've managed to create a gap ahead of me and the person has moved into it sufficiently early rather than leaving it until I'm close and have had to slow down further.
From: John on 11 May 2010 17:30 "Harry Bloomfield" <harry.m1byt(a)NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message news:mn.5ce17da5d4f46203.106911(a)NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk... > ChelseaTractorMan formulated the question : >> I wonder how many more people would be alive today if they had not had >> the crazy idea that a few seconds or a minute or two on a journey >> mattered? Or possibly more to the point, that their masculinity >> depended on being first and/or quick. > > Time does matter to me, but not to the point where I cannot stop to allow > a grannie to cross, or someone struggling on sticks. Progress when it is > safe to make progress and a bit of courtesy, when some might be useful. > > -- > Regards, > Harry (M1BYT) (L) > http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk > > I largely agree - but I do get annoyed with people who seem intent upon reversing the normal well understood priorities and generally causing lots of ambiguities. eg. If turning right into 'my' road - then please do so - don't hold back and start waving me out - you won't hear my insults - but I will be making them. Whilst I may sometimes accept their "waving me out" - usually I seeth and just wish they would get concentrate on getting out of my way instead of pontificating on who should have the priority which suits them at the time. I prefer to drive in a predictable environment where we all seem to be following the same rules. (Hence I quite like driving in the USA). Perhaps if we all had tinted windows it would stop individuals waving and getting waves and smiles. (safe driver since the 1960's - now aged 63)
From: Mortimer on 11 May 2010 17:45 "John" <Who90nospam(a)ntlworld.com> wrote in message news:h0kGn.7651$7s5.1480(a)newsfe20.ams2... > > I largely agree - but I do get annoyed with people who seem intent upon > reversing the normal well understood priorities and generally causing lots > of ambiguities. eg. If turning right into 'my' road - then please do so - > don't hold back and start waving me out - you won't hear my insults - but > I will be making them. If I've been waiting for ages to pull out from a side road into a major road, and someone finally takes pity on me and stops to let me out, then it won't be insults but thanks that they'd hear if they could hear what I was mouthing. One thing I always do if someone lets me out is make damn sure that I actually accelerate up to the speed that they were doing. So often you let someone pull out and they repay the kindness by dawdling along once they are on the road ahead of you instead of getting up to speed nice and quickly.
From: Ed Chilada on 11 May 2010 18:16
On Tue, 11 May 2010 17:24:35 +0100, "Zimmy" <z(a)y.x> wrote: > >"ChelseaTractorMan" <mr.c.tractor(a)hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message >news:fldiu51mu3qfaptsh2k6a546v0foijjnln(a)4ax.com... > >> **this morning I stopped for a woman with pushchair, there was no >> other traffic except a bus at a stop in the opposite direction. There >> was a pedestrian reservation. Excessive pointless courtesy? Some would >> say yes. Some would say more dangerous than letting her sort it out >> herself. She was talking on her mobile (yep, crossing road with a >> child and on the phone!) She didn't notice I had stopped at first, the >> bus did and flashed as it started to move. She then crossed, I reckon >> that's an inattentive pedestrian in charge of a child got out of harms >> way. Job done! > >I know of a case where a schoolgirl was flashed Yeah, that gets you in *allsorts* of trouble! >to cross the road at a busy >junction outside a school. She trusted the driver and ran across but did not >realise the traffic coming the other way weren't stopping. Two broken legs. I think it's prone when someone's trying to pull out across a two lane road and the person on the inside lane stops to flash them out, but the person on the outside carries on. I've not seen a crash but I've seen a few near misses. |