Stopping for crossing pedestrians

[Knock Sensor]

Thoughts on this?

Legally, yes we should be stopping and letting them cross. However if possible and in a sane/respectful way I usually roll past if I'm on the bike in an urban area and I've got cars behind me. Twice in the past month I've almost been destroyed from behind when I stopped for peds in a crosswalk. People just can't register that a bike is stopped and I got the horrifying sound of squealing tires right behind me and luckily the first guy stopped in time and the second I had to dive for the sidewalk to avoid contact.

Suffice to say I'm paranoid as hell about this kind of situation now. Obviously a lighted crosswalk I'll stop, not running lights or anything.

[ANSAracingb]

Wow. In those cases it pretty much sounds like if you weren't there, the pedestrians would have been hit by those ignorant drivers...

[gr8shandini]

What's your other option? Running them down?

That said, I have seen some people do some silly things at crosswalks. For some reason, a lot of folks seem to think that you have to stop for someone who's already crossed your lane and wait for them to get all the way to the other side. That's a little ridiculous and I can see how someone could nearly get rear-ended because of that.

[Knock Sensor]

Wow. In those cases it pretty much sounds like if you weren't there, the pedestrians would have been hit by those ignorant drivers...

Where I usually ride/live there's 2 colleges so there's tons of crosswalks and you'd think after some of these residents have lived here for 20-30 years they'd be wary of people crossing. But they still suck at driving and they wonder why one, they have so many close calls, two why are people walking in the road!!!!!11111zomg111, and three why they get ticketed by local police for almost hitting people. My town isn't filled with the brightest people. Hence my fear of getting pasted.

What's your other option? Running them down?

That said, I have seen some people do some silly things at crosswalks. For some reason, a lot of folks seem to think that you have to stop for someone who's already crossed your lane and wait for them to get all the way to the other side. That's a little ridiculous and I can see how someone could nearly get rear-ended because of that.

Not sure what the other option would be, like I said if I can roll past while they do that expectant "taking a step to see who stops and when they do i will walk" look that pedestrians give, I will. Obviously not going to run anyone down.

The other thing, I've seen it with cars, is that the first person stops, obscures the sight of the ped walking across and the second car just goes around the first and nearly creams the pedestrian. Like I said, its an awful town for this stupid behavior.

[turbinepowered]

The other thing, I've seen it with cars, is that the first person stops, obscures the sight of the ped walking across and the second car just goes around the first and nearly creams the pedestrian. Like I said, its an awful town for this stupid behavior.

I HATE this. I get it all the time driving a bus, pause at a stop with a crosswalk to let people off and some ******* comes flying around me, crossing double yellows and almost creaming pedestrians or other traffic. ****ing impatient *******s, can't wait twenty seconds...