UKH

Anyone noticed any difference since the new rules came in? I have yet to have a car stop for me to cross at a junction (and fear I may have not stopped when I should while driving)

I’ve seen cars stop, I have stopped myself, but not always stopped when I should have done.

Nope. I was turning left the other day off a main road into a side road and let two children cross the sideroad. I’ve always done this anyway.

Do you have to stop if on a main road doing 40 mph to let people cross even if there’s no crossing?

I think it's only at junctions, but I am not clear how it is practical on high speed roads even so.

Presumably a higher speed road would have a curve to the turn and suitable crossing facilities?

The Road I turn left into has a 90 degree curb to the main road, so you have to almost stop to safely complete the manoeuvre.

I indicate a good 200 m up the road to warn drivers behind. Every road is subtly different though.

I kinda did this.  Some lads arsing about pulling their hoods over each other walked straight into the road. I was turning left at slower than a snails pace coz I knew they wouldn’t have seen me. When they saw my car they jumped back, startled,  back onto the pavement and expected me to carry on, which I did. 

None at all. Pedestrians still wait for a gap as far as I have seen. When I now wait for the pedestrians at junctions they seem very confused and then scurry across the road quickly.

I think it will take time before pedestrians know the new highway code and trust that drivers know it too.

I'm still confused about roundabouts however. Technically junctions, but the highway code has a separate section for roundabouts so not sure if I'm supposed to give way to pedestrians or not.

I haven't noticed a change in terms of drivers stopping to let me cross, but I've started just walking out and nobody's got confrontational about it, so I'm guessing people understand the change, even if it's not filtered into autopilot yet. 

Yes I do stop for pedestrians at junctions, and as someone above has said they often look confused and are slow to react and go, but that's ok, it's a good rule in the code, but will take time to filter down into the system.

It was often something I would do previously, I have seen other drivers doing it too, but many don't. 

As a pedestrian, I do hesitate unless I am absolutely sure the driver means it, so that undoubtedly contributes to a delay, but is still safer, and in the long run better for us all. In the scheme of things, why does it matter if traffic is held up briefly at times for pedestrians?

Having driven in many other countries, I think that the standard of driving in Britain is generally low, although not necessarily the worst, but still needs addressing. Tightening up the Highway Code is a start, but I do wonder whether passing just one test when you first start is sufficient for life, and maybe regular testing through out our lives should be introduced eg every ten years? We all develop bad habits over time, and these need correcting. The most important is our attitude and consideration towards other road users.

Given so many drivers have no license, insurance or basic UK road knowledge (estimated 1 million uninsured on the UK's roads) I'm pleasantly surprised that people are debating an esoteric aspect of the highway code. Clearly you don't live round my way

I stop if I'm turning in to a junction and someone is waiting to cross, I have been beeped at by drivers behind me a few times.

I have yet to see a pedestrian just walking out and enforcing their right of way and when I'm walking I certainly don't given the amount of drivers who don't stop. 

In the early days there seemed many drivers being more cautious and courteous. I’ve had cars slow/stop for me as I’m waiting to cross, and I do stop for pedestrians if they are intending to cross minor roads at the junction. If pedestrians are standing still, not looking, maybe talking, I slow but don’t stop as they may not be crossing at all.

Once have had a pedestrian continue without slowing, nor looking, across a minor access road though I think it was they were distracted from reality. I had anticipated having to stop as they had head set on and I guess they distracted by that. That would have happened anyway pre changes to the code of course. 

In the early days I noticed that cyclists were generally being given more respect - increased room, etc. Seems to have continued but maybe to a lesser extent. Not experienced a cyclist “undertaking” to go straight ahead at a junction I’ve been turning left at; I’ve never undertaken vehicles when on my bike unless they are stopped so don’t know if any vehicle would stop and give cyclist priority!

On the other hand I was speaking to a walker and she say most cyclists refuse to give way for her still and will close pass on shared tracks, no bells being used normally, and sometimes shouting and swearing at her for being in the “wrong”. She has taken to abandoning some of her favourite routes at weekends and other busy times as she’s found it really stressful.

When I’ve been walking I’ve not noticed any change in cyclists’ attitude to walkers; seems like they feel they have priority over pedestrians at all time still! (Joking generalisation as they are of course many cyclists who who are considerate). There are many bikes that still don’t have bells so using them will be rare, but a shout and a bit of patience would help.

Maybe the changes to the code don’t apply to shared paths though I don’t see why the hierarchy wouldn’t be acceptable. That’s maybe fanciful thinking since, for example, I’ve twice had car driver’s argue with me to get out their way so they could park partly on the pavement. One was a blue badge driver who insisted they needed to park there and nearly hit me driving onto the pavement.

It will take along time for the changes to filter down to being an automatic thought for all road users, but encouraging around my area.

The pedestrian crossing priority at junctions is the most obvious one, but takeup seems to have been very limited. The vast majority of pedestrians still wait for a gap, and the vast majority of road users don't stop to create a gap.

I don't actually drive at busy times that much these days so hasn't come up much as a driver, but I try to stop whenever I see a pedestrian waiting at a junction now. A couple of times a pedestrian has crossed when I've stopped, a couple of times they haven't wanted to even when waved.

​​​As a pedestrian I make some use of the rules (maybe stepping into a smaller gap in traffic than I would have done before), but still end up looking for  a gap before stepping out. A few times a car has stopped to let me finish crossing if it arrives at the junction while I'm already crossing, so that has sort of worked I guess, although technically that would have been required before the rule change too. A cyclist nearly took me out the other day though, got very close to me as I was crossing his lane, may have said something under his breath to me but couldn't really hear. 

I still don't really like the rules even after getting used to them, and think they're a bit of a mistake. Just seems to create conflicting movements, unpredictability and ambiguity where there didn't used to be any. 

Not really seen any impact from the clarifications about cyclists riding 2 abreast or letting traffic past, going 10mph literally whenever you see a horse, or cyclists being encouraged to overtake other traffic turning right (noting that despite misleading publicity they are still not allowed to undertake traffic turning left, it's just that the traffic has to avoid them if they do). Can't remember if there were any other new rules or not. 

​​​​​When cycling in groups I've done the 2 abreast thing where appropriate since I first learned about group riding from an instructor, so the clarifications haven't actually changed my riding in that way. There's no way I'd knowingly under or overtake traffic turning left / right though, just seems crazy to do that to me. 

Not sure if it's a new thing but we had a old  lady give way to us crossing. This was nice but the van driver behind was furious and blasted his horn then the overtook the woman dangerously on a small local road.

As far as other parts of the changes go. I've noticed drivers giving me more space when passing me on the bike whether or not there's an oncoming vehicle and therefore getting really close to a head on crash.

This might just be down to the publicity of close passing at the moment. It seems there is at least 1 close pass video on my news feed everyday often leading to a conviction. In the most part this is a good thing but one last week was bang out of order in my book. There was a car parked on the cyclist side of the road so a couple of bikes went round it whilst a car was coming from the opposite direction and the car driver got points and a fine. There was talk of the driver speeding up and or pulling further towards the center but I didn't see that on the video. If the gap was too small and the obstruction was on the cyclist side they should have stopped in my opinion. 

I've seen that video and know the area. The Peugeot driver approaching is clearly over the centre line and there wasn't any obstruction on their side. 

Can somebody explain what the actual differences are...

1. I always understood that pedestrians crossing (over the road to be turned into) had priority over traffic turning into that road.
2. And similarly that you've always had to "stop" for pedestrians who actually were on a zebra crossing.

Although there seem to be extra "shoulds" in the revised code (e.g. should give way to those waiting to cross in my 2 points above), I don't see where the "musts" have changed.

Have I missed something?

And if not, it appears that considerate drivers will already be driving appropriately, and that the revised code is "merely" trying to persuade more of us to be considerate drivers.

The rules were that you had to give way to a pedestrian already crossing a side road you are turning into, but now you should give way to anyone waiting to cross whether or not they have started crossing yet.

If you know the area I will bow to your knowledge but I have to say it didn't look over the center to me from the video. 

I hate to post links to the mail but this is a photo from their article

https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article26788762.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/...

They are over the line and for no good reason. I'd love to know what they were doing, nobody drives in this position on such a wide road normally, were they distracted? on the phone? trying to prove a point because they though the cyclists should give way to them?

Whether this is worth the fine they got I don't know, it sound like the driver fancied an argument with a magistrate and friends in the law business say this is the best way to annoy the court and get increase the punishment you are going to receive. It was probably initially offered to them as a driver awareness course or a £100 FPN+3 points if they'd already done a course.

That's definitely over the line, it didn't look like it on the video to me but stops don't lie.

Your probably right about going to court, you need to be 100% in the right otherwise it will probably go worse for you. 

I notice you've said "should" which in the Highway Code is advisory and for good practice. However I don't believe the "must" (i.e. the legislation) has changed for this (happy to be proved wrong).

So good/considerate drivers will take the revised "rules of precedence" to heart but will actually need little modification to their driving to fit in with the new guidance. Ejit drivers on the other hand will ignore these changes and just carry on being ejits.

"How dare that cyclist give that parked car such a wide berth just because there's a slight chance the door might open, I'll show them"

Looks like this driver belongs to the second category of drivers from my previous post ☹