A wheelchair, A SMIDSY and I

[Paul_L]

This morning's ride was prematurely concluded by a bit of a collision at this pedestrian crossing in Harrogate

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Har...F0gG4u-CRKYyfjI7HCVyiQ&cbp=12,139.66,,0,11.24

I was presented with a flashing amber light (proceed if safe to do so?). There was a disabled person in an electric wheelchair waiting on the LH footpath and she had a red crossing light. Just as i was going through the crossing, the wheelchair entered the road, collecting me with her. I landed on her lap. She didn't look to see if anyone was coming and i'm convinced she would have been killed or very seriously injured if i was in a car.

To be honest i was struck by a feeling that being seen to hit a wheelchair isn't the most popular sight in the world, so i just wanted to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. I knew i wasn't hurt, and the woman in the chair apologised and said she should have looked. I checked she was ok, and she advised me she was. She apologised again and off she went.

It was only after she set off again i realised my front wheel was completely buckled and had a cracked rim. Bizarre as the speed of impact was very slow (I know this for fact as i was slowing down to a near standstill when my light had been red).

I've run through the sequence of events as best i could remember them, and to begin with i was convinced it was my fault but my friend who i was with assures me it wasn't as the wheelchair entered the crossing on a red light and more to the point without looking if it was clear.

Maybe i should have called her back to let her know of the damage but i decided again it probably wasn't the right thing to do.

So, quite an amusing tale. No one got hurt which is the main thing, but i'm a bit hacked off that through no fault of my own i've got an expensive repair / replacement job on my hands.

 

[Pikey]

If ur on an mtb I've got a 26 inch disc front wheel you can have on the cheap to tide you over...

 

[Paul_L]

cheers for the offer Pikey, but it's a 700c road wheel.

 

[snorri]

i'm a bit hacked off that through no fault of my own i've got an expensive repair / replacement job on my hands.

I doubt if you could be considered entirely blameless, the rules (196) require you to proceed with caution through the flashing amber. It could be argued you failed to exercise sufficient caution.

 

[Paul_L]

I doubt if you could be considered entirely blameless, the rules (196) require you to proceed with caution through the flashing amber. It could be argued you failed to exercise sufficient caution.

you may well be right snorri. My first comment to my friend after it happened was that i thought it may be my fault. But my friend helped me to piece it together enough for me to realise that at worst i was 50% to blame and the majority of responsibility was the wheelchair user.

The fact that when she moved her wheelchair into the road, i knew i was going to hit her, just didn't have time to react compared to the wheelchair woman who didn't have a clue what was happening, suggests i was exercising slightly more caution that she was.

For her sake i'm glad i wasn't a car.

 

[col]

This morning's ride was prematurely concluded by a bit of a collision at this pedestrian crossing in Harrogate

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Harrogate&hl=en&ll=53.999672,-1.531734&spn=0.013899,0.042272&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.327693,43.286133&oq=harrogate&vpsrc=6&hnear=Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom&t=m&z=15&layer=c&cbll=53.999728,-1.531774&panoid=F0gG4u-CRKYyfjI7HCVyiQ&cbp=12,139.66,,0,11.24

I was presented with a flashing amber light (proceed if safe to do so?). There was a disabled person in an electric wheelchair waiting on the LH footpath and she had a red crossing light. Just as i was going through the crossing, the wheelchair entered the road, collecting me with her. I landed on her lap. She didn't look to see if anyone was coming and i'm convinced she would have been killed or very seriously injured if i was in a car.

To be honest i was struck by a feeling that being seen to hit a wheelchair isn't the most popular sight in the world, so i just wanted to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. I knew i wasn't hurt, and the woman in the chair apologised and said she should have looked. I checked she was ok, and she advised me she was. She apologised again and off she went.

It was only after she set off again i realised my front wheel was completely buckled and had a cracked rim. Bizarre as the speed of impact was very slow (I know this for fact as i was slowing down to a near standstill when my light had been red).

I've run through the sequence of events as best i could remember them, and to begin with i was convinced it was my fault but my friend who i was with assures me it wasn't as the wheelchair entered the crossing on a red light and more to the point without looking if it was clear.

Maybe i should have called her back to let her know of the damage but i decided again it probably wasn't the right thing to do.

So, quite an amusing tale. No one got hurt which is the main thing, but i'm a bit hacked off that through no fault of my own i've got an expensive repair / replacement job on my hands.

The flashing amber means pedestrians have right of way, but we can proceed if no pedestrians are present. Sorry but you were to blame, you should have been checking for anyone, even just starting to cross, before carrying on through a flashing amber.

 

[Thomk]

The flashing amber means pedestrians have right of way, but we can proceed if no pedestrians are present. Sorry but you were to blame, you should have been checking for anyone, even just starting to cross, before carrying on through a flashing amber.

I don't think this is quite correct. The flashing amber phase allows vehicles to proceed if the crossing is clear and they are not required to give way to ped's waiting to cross. It is impossible (for a bike or car) to ever proceed through a flashing amber phase whilst ped's are waiting to cross if a ped can barge into you as you are slowly proceeding through and then blame you from ocupying the space they wished to procure for themself.

 

[screenman]

I go with Col, you were to blame. Always expect the unexpected, that pedestrian will step out in front of you, that car will not see you etc.

 

[col]

I don't think this is quite correct. The flashing amber phase allows vehicles to proceed if the crossing is clear and they are not required to give way to ped's waiting to cross. It is impossible (for a bike or car) to ever proceed through a flashing amber phase whilst ped's are waiting to cross if a ped can barge into you as you are slowly proceeding through and then blame you from ocupying the space they wished to procure for themself.

The flashing amber is for us to wait and watch for anyone, if someone is even thinking about crossing we must wait and see. As the op admitted he went through on a flashing amber and hit someone. Because the amber was still flashing that puts him at fault.

 

[HLaB]

I agree too with Col, we should always look out for more vulnerable road users but c'est la vie, I'm glad nothing serious happened to either party.

 

[Thomk]

The flashing amber is for us to wait and watch for anyone, if someone is even thinking about crossing we must wait and see. As the op admitted he went through on a flashing amber and hit someone. Because the amber was still flashing that puts him at fault.

No that's not what the flashing amber means on a pedestrian crossing. Read the OP's post again col. She hit him not the other way round.

 

[coffeejo]

I've noticed that out in the sticks where I live, walkers are road-savvy and pay attention to their surroundings but once I get into town, pedestrians are car-aware but rely on their ears and don't look for silent traffic, like bikes. It's all very well ringing your bell on a shared path but I've had several brown-trouser moments when someone's stepped off the pavement in front of me because they weren't looking as well as listening.

 

[col]

No that's not what the flashing amber means on a pedestrian crossing. Read the OP's post again col. She hit him not the other way round.

The amber light was flashing, he shouldnt have been there if he was being observant enough.

I've noticed that out in the sticks where I live, walkers are road-savvy and pay attention to their surroundings but once I get into town, pedestrians are car-aware but rely on their ears and don't look for silent traffic, like bikes. It's all very well ringing your bell on a shared path but I've had several brown-trouser moments when someone's stepped off the pavement in front of me because they weren't looking as well as listening.

This is a reason why we must be more observant with flashing amber.

 

[coffeejo]

This is a reason why we must be more observant with flashing amber.

I completely agree, my comment was more about the streets away from marked crossings.

 

[col]

I completely agree, my comment was more about the streets away from marked crossings.

Oh they do that to me too, going through a town is like entering a minefield, talk about wits and scared out of( recognise the saying anyone?)