But it seems like they’re respected if you install large flashing lights that the pedestrian can activate.
At zebra crossings with no traffic island, stop and give way to people walking on any part of the crossing or who are waiting to cross.
NZ also has courtesy crossings:
Courtesy crossings are usually made of bricks or paving or raised above the level of the road. A courtesy crossing is not an official pedestrian crossing, but to be polite, you should stop for people on the footpath waiting to cross. You must give way to people already crossing.
Our cops are pretty busy - you would have to be pretty unlucky to get a ticket. But also the social norms in NZ are to be polite - drivers tend to be more forgiving towards pedestrians than some other countries. The justice system is definitely very unforgiving towards anyone that actually hits a pedestrian.
I have to disagree. Where I live in NZ a local elderly couple were run down by an impatient driver turning into a quiet side street. One died, the other was critically injured. The same driver had recently accepted fault for hitting and injuring a motorcyclist.
The sentence? 250 hours community work, $15,000 to the family as an emotional harm repayment, attend a defensive driving course, and disqualification from driving for nine months.
I might add that the driver was a very wealthy businessman (so the monetary amount is likely insignificant).
Nine months is ridiculous in my opinion.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/wellington/132178677/driver...
This might also be the reason for the light sentence? Not sure about NZ but in many countries it works this way unfortunately.
I live near one of these and not even the strobing yellow lights are always enough to get drivers to yield. I've never once been able to cross when cars are present without fairly recklessly walking in front of them.
Maybe I'll have to try the brick method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEI8ppiMzZM
I hope it teaches them. Even if you can't see anyone, if there's a pedestrian crossing, especially in an urban area, just slow down in case.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1997/2400/part/I/crosshe...
“ Precedence of pedestrians over vehicles at Zebra crossings 25.—(1) Every pedestrian, if he is on the carriageway within the limits of a Zebra crossing, which is not for the time being controlled by a constable in uniform or traffic warden, before any part of a vehicle has entered those limits, shall have precedence within those limits over that vehicle and the driver of the vehicle shall accord such precedence to any such pedestrian. “
The point is that simply waiting to cross you are not “on the carriageway” and therefore the driver of the vehicle is not required to stop (by some reading of the law).
Common custom is that you do stop for people waiting to cross but sometimes you really do have to stick a foot into the road to make people stop for you and allow you to cross.
But the Highway Code says drivers MUST stop if the pedestrian is /on/ the crossing:
> you MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing
This should be sufficient to make drivers understand that you give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings
This was in Switzerland, in the late 80s, and yes, drivers did not tend to stop for pedestrians waiting to cross.
What's the point of that? At that point just turn it into a proper traffic light that's always green (or off) and when activated turns red for cars and green for pedestrians.