A friend of mine was driving down a street which had parked vehicles all the way down one side. The houses were 'Coronation Street-like terraces whose front doors opened straight onto the pavement. It was a 30 mph limit but he was only doing about 20 mph.
Suddenly a tiny child ran out from between two cars. She was so short that he didn't see her until she was right in front of him. He reacted quickly but was unable to stop in time and knocked her off her feet. Fortunately, he had managed to slow enough to not seriously injure her.
She ran back into her house crying. My mate left his car in the road, ran in after her and found her being hugged by her mum. It turned out that the parents were in the habit of leaving their front door open 'for fresh air' and didn't expect their toddler to go exploring!
Is it 'reasonable' to expect that children might run out from behind any parked vehicle? If so, then we should have a blanket 5 mph speed limit in all built up areas. It would mean that travelling across cities would be reduced to walking pace.
I once had a man walk out directly in front of me from behind a Transit van in Burnley when I was cycling through the town. I was well out beyond the 'door zone' but he came out so fast that he was in the middle of the road before I could react. Only a violent last-moment swerve prevented a collision.
Drivers and cyclists should obey speed limits and use roads sensibly, watching out for hazards, but ultimately it is up to pedestrians not to walk (or run) out in front of traffic. If they are so stupid that they need electric vehicles to make more noise, then make them noisier! Should we make bikes noisier too?
Yes, it is reasonable to expect a child to run out from behind parked vehicles on such a street - in fact it used to be in the HC.
If road is wide enough that I can concentrate most attention to the nearest side, then around 20mph is fine*. Narrower roads meaning I have to look at the gaps between cars# on
both sides then I will slow down further, to about 10mph usually.
The
constant expectation of "someone might jump/pull out in front of me" is pretty essential to surviving cycling in a busy urban environment (most 'bad cycling' videos I see are because people fail to bear this in mind). There is every reason we should require the same level of attention from motor vehicle operatives.
Edit, re. the bit I've bolded: Don't look for the head (it could be any height) look for the feet (they are always in the expected place - IME
).
*This is something that p's me off about my cruise control: It cuts off below 25mph, just at the speeds where I am in most need of adjusting my speed by 1 or 2 mph and keeping my foot over the brake. Of course this is because numpties would cruise around not looking in front, but they should not be licenced to drive. Cruise control properly used is a safety aid.
#Nor am I some sort of wonder-boy for doing this: Looking at the gaps under and between cars for feet, was taught back when I did RAC/ACU motorcycle training. You have three or four footsteps warning before they appear around the car that way.
