Safety on zebra crossings
I had a polite and amicable disagreement this morning with a man cycling with a small group of children across the zebra crossing near the school on Putney Common.I warned him that, as a zebra crossing is a pedestrian crossing, if a car hit any of them that the driver would not be legally liable. He was of the opinion that cars would always stop for children and this may well be the case, but he appeared to doubt my view that what he was doing was contrary to the Highway Code and the law regarding zebra crossings.I have just looked it up online and have found this on the web page eta.co.uk/cycling-and-the-law"It is not illegal (some local bylaws may apply) to ride a pedal cycle across a zebra crossing, but rule 79 of the Highway Code says cyclists should dismount and wheel their cycles across a pelican, puffin or zebra crossing.You ought to comply with this rule as, should you injure a pedestrian when cycling across, they could sue you for compensation. The fact that you did not follow the rules for cyclists in the Highway Code would make it far more likely that the injured party would win their case against you. It should also be noted that sections 28 & 29 of the Highways Act create the offences of dangerous, careless and inconsiderate cycling, which could apply if you failed to take care when using the crossing if you choose to cycle across.Equally, in law if you did cycle across a zebra crossing then you are not a ‘pedestrian’ so a motorist who fails to give way to you won’t be committing an offence if they cut in front of you – case law precedent if you are interested is Crank v Brooks (1980) RTR.However, rule 80 of the Highway Code does permit cyclists to ride across at toucan crossings which allow cyclists and pedestrians to share the crossing space and cross in designated lanes when the appropriate light signals indicate it is safe to do so."So, be aware, and please be safe!
Catherine Schade ● 2571d0 Comments