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Anne Hardy’s notes above contain excellent advice. Of course, drivers should never beckon anyone to cross, and not just at pedestrian crossings:
https://theorytest.org.uk/why-should-you-never-wave-people-across-at-pedestrian-crossings/
In addition to the concern about traffic approaching on the other side of the road, my greatest fear is of a driver overtaking the stationary car, having misunderstood the reason for its stopping …
The Highway Code changes aren’t dramatic. Most are simply in line with what should be happening, anyway. Once the initial (media-driven?) fuss has died down, things will go back to normal. I imagine that you are correct in not altering your instructions to trainees, although I am curious to know what exactly they are! As to the child running ahead and getting into trouble – surely that’s a problem the guardian should be addressing.
With so little information to go on, it would be foolish to commit oneself to answering these questions. It may be that the layout is the best that can be achieved within whatever constraints apply. If the change has been substantial, it may be that a safety audit has been carried out. Why not ask the roads authority for a copy? Wouldn’t most drivers wait until the blocking vehicle had moved off before turning, anyway?
… and RoSPA also provide a fact sheet:
https://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/roads/rural-road-safety
Loads of (past!) references here, Rob:
There are hi-vis vests with sleeves, is that’s any help:
Andrew.
Many thanks for the facts, Peter.
As to Devon’s program (sic), as usual, the deaf have been overlooked.Positive messages? Sorry, but this seems to me to be rather, well, desperate. Shared space is an highly questionable concept. It certainly isn’t enjoyed by all in my neck of the woods. Especially elderly, frail, deaf, blind, pram-pushing, dog-walking pedestrians. Apparently, we’ve all to jump aside (into the carriageway, presumably) for the sake of the cyclist, scooterist, etc. The silent majority, I believe, are becoming thoroughly fed up with it. So, no – I don’t have any “positive” messages about it, despite having been an enthusiastic cyclist in my youth.
But there may be something I’m missing …Peter,
You should check the latest edition of STATS20, vehicles section, which should clarify the matter for you.
The above takes you the 2011 non-CRASH edition – I’m afraid I don’t know whether there have been any important revisions since then.
Andrew
Hello, Roger.
Yes, I often wonder what’s meant by a road safety professional, myself! I’m a civil engineer who got caught up in the drive to improve road safety through engineering in the 1980s, but I’m not sure I’d qualify.
As to U-turns on dual carriageways, there are plenty of bans in my area, too, and, where the central reservation is narrow, they are probably justified. If I was teaching, I’d recommend heading for the next roundabout, if there is one. If there isn’t and the central reservation is as wide as the case I referred to earlier, I honestly can’t see why a U-turn should be any more of a problem than a right turn. (Of course, that’s amongst the worst manoeuvres in the book, anyway!)
It’s U-turns on single carriageways that I’d be more concerned about.
On a slightly different tack, I often wished that ADIs and engineers could have got together on the matter of road safety. I know some ADIs were very concerned about some of the recent changes to the test – particularly the one concerning pulling up on the right hand side of the road. Guess what the last accident to cross my desk involved ….
Kind regards,
Andrew.
Hello, Jim.
As far as I’m aware there’s no such standard. And there seems to be only one reference to U-turns in the Highway Code, but that concerns mini-roundabouts. So all you have to do is follow Rule 144. You MUST NOT
● drive dangerously
● drive without due care and attention
● drive without reasonable consideration for other road users. Law RTA 1988 sects 2 & 3 as amended by RTA 1991I had occasion to look at U-turning on dual carriageways, but could find little research on its safety. What I did find was American and, as I recall it, it wasn’t the highly dangerous thing you might have expected. I suppose it would depend on the usual suspects: speed, volume, no. of lanes, weather, etc. In the particular case on which I was involved, the choice was whether to introduce another signalled junction at a commercial development or to oblige drivers to U-turn at an existing opening in a very wide central reservation, a short distance away. The latter (no new junction) was decided upon and there has been no problem for over a decade, now.
Perhaps, if it is provided for properly, no further “nationally approved guidelines” are necessary. This Malaysian paper might interest you:
https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=jas.2013.602.608
Andrew.
Had a meeting with the Community Council concerning this problem. I said nothing, but let the other 11 who attended (including a teacher form the school) talk amongst themselves. Ours is a primary school remote from main roads, but with around 6 approaches to it, via surprisingly wide suburban streets. There was no conclusion, but the mood seemed gradually to shift towards school streets, with parents being encouraged to drop/uplift on a “circular” route around the vicinity (we’re more or less surrounded by the River Forth) where there are no houses on either side, or only on one side. I guess we’re luckier than most. Next steps are to approach the parents involved and the local Council.
Napier University has done some work on the matter.
Download: School Streets Closure Traffic Displacement Literature Review FINAL.pdf
Again, I realise that this doesn’t answer the question, but I feel that there’s something inevitable about it!
It is simply not possible to enforce the relevant regulations (parking and engine-running), or to reduce the congestion and inconvenience (especially to hard-pressed delivery drivers) any other way …
I don’t know how serious in terms of safety this really is, but I live opposite a primary school, and the number of children being transported to school by car certainly causes inconvenience. Particularly annoying is the total disrespect for parking restrictions shown by many parents (most unable to park the right way round, never mind anything else) and parents who sit for up to half-an-hour with their engines running. Mention it, and one is faced with a torrent of abuse. I doubt whether promises or pledges will have any effect on the hard core, or the cohort who are always late, and I think the next step, locally, will be:
I know that doesn’t answer the question …
Andrew
