"War On Motorists" - but who's to blame for 'pedestrian deaths' really?

[Grumpy Owl]

A protest took place in Birmingham city centre today, where protestors lay in Great Charles Queensway to "represent the 25 road deaths that occur in Birmingham every year".

 

‘Die-in’ protest held in busy Birmingham street after deaths in city

Quote

A road safety campaign group in Birmingham took to a busy city street to stage a ‘die-in’ protest calling for changes after deaths on the city’s roads. Around 50 protestors gathered in Great Charles Street Queensway, opposite the entrance to University College, to voice their concerns after two more pedestrians were killed in the past month.

Former Crossroads actress Charmian Abrahams, 96, who played Mavis Hooper in the Midlands motel soap died after she was struck by a vehicle in Ladywood Road in Harborne on Monday, January 15. And a woman in her 40s was killed after being hit by a car in Witton Lane, near Aston Hall Road, close to Aston Villa’s Villa Park ground, just before 9am on Thursday, December 21.

And in Belgrave Middleway in the city centre a pedestrian was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries after being hit by a car at around 6.30pm on Saturday, January 13. The incidents, just days into 2024, prompted Better Streets for Birmingham to hold a protect calling for ‘no more road deaths’.

from: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/die-in-protest-held-busy-28524391

 

Just as an aside into the poor quality of local journalism, the above quote is copied verbatim. It was actually "Lordswood Road" in Harborne, not 'Ladywood Road', and this group held a 'protest' not a 'protect'.

 

Quote

Co-chair of the Better Streets for Birmingham group, Mat MacDonald, gave a speech to those gathered. He called for an end to the ‘senseless loss of life on our city’s roads in collisions’.

He said: “Over the past few weeks, tragedy has struck yet again on our city’s roads. Two women have been killed, whose only misdemeanour was to have the temerity to walk around the areas where they lived.

“Two women who were expected back home and who never returned. And now two sets of families dealing with the unimaginable trauma of such a sudden, unexpected and violent loss. And a whole city who know, any of our loved ones, any of us could be next.”

He said ‘our roads are not safe’ and the ‘systems for removing dangerous drivers from them are not working’. He said the deaths were ‘grimly predictable’.

He went on: “Every single fortnight in Birmingham someone is killed on our roads, while every single day someone is seriously injured.” He said leaders have ‘failed’ to properly tackle the problems streets face.

Mr MacDonald said there were ‘too many cars in Birmingham’ and ‘too many of them are driven dangerously’. He said road safety on many roads was ‘a mere afterthought’. He said: “Car excess, anti-social driving and unsafe roads blight our communities, bring fear, misery and death to every corner of Birmingham.

“But from Harborne to Hay Mills, from Edgbaston to Erdington, are standing together in anger, in anguish and furious solidarity today, enough is enough.”

 

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I don't drive and have never owned a car, so just wanted to make my position clear.

 

This particular group may appear to have noble intentions on the surface, but in reality they are very much 'anti-car' and 'anti-motorist'.

 

It is always tragic when someone loses their life, but in many of these cases there is important context being missed.

 

Yes, it is true that there are a number of idiots who choose to race around everywhere and ignore the Highway Code.

 

It is also true that the word 'idiot' is now considered offensive and will result in your comment being 'deactivated' on Reach Plc sites for breaching their 'community guidelines'.

 

However, in the grand scheme of things, is 25 that great a number? But my big question is how many of these 25 deaths were entirely preventable, if the victims had chosen to cross that particular road in a safer manner?

 

Too often, we'll see some story in local news about some pedestrian being run over and either seriously injured or killed.

 

But "what actually happened" will never get reported, so in most cases it remains a 'mystery'.

 

I would hazard a guess that in most of these cases, this pedestrian has been maimed or killed through their own stupid fault, by attempting to cross a busy main road where or when it was clearly not safe to do so.

 

I see it all the time, particularly in Sparkbrook near where I work, all along the Stratford Road, people are blindly walking out into moving traffic, despite a plethora of controlled pedestrian crossings, or central reservation refuges. And what alarms me most is people walking out into the road either carrying children, or dragging them by their hands.

 

And then of course there are the 'smartphone zombies' who just casually step into the road while staring at their iPhones.

 

So come on, lets have some truth please, how many of these pedestrian deaths were caused by their own carelessness rather than through any fault of the motorist?

 

It sounds  to me like this group are going about things the wrong way, maybe they should be doing more to educate and inform pedestrians on how to cross roads more safely, that would be a great way to reduce injuries and deaths.

 

Sadly, I think this is just a front or a cover for a more 'anti-car' agenda.

 

 

[k_j_evans]

1 hour ago, Grumpy Owl said:

A protest took place in Birmingham city centre today, where protestors lay in Great Charles Queensway to "represent the 25 road deaths that occur in Birmingham every year".

 

‘Die-in’ protest held in busy Birmingham street after deaths in city

from: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/die-in-protest-held-busy-28524391

 

Just as an aside into the poor quality of local journalism, the above quote is copied verbatim. It was actually "Lordswood Road" in Harborne, not 'Ladywood Road', and this group held a 'protest' not a 'protect'.

 

 

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I don't drive and have never owned a car, so just wanted to make my position clear.

 

This particular group may appear to have noble intentions on the surface, but in reality they are very much 'anti-car' and 'anti-motorist'.

 

It is always tragic when someone loses their life, but in many of these cases there is important context being missed.

 

Yes, it is true that there are a number of idiots who choose to race around everywhere and ignore the Highway Code.

 

It is also true that the word 'idiot' is now considered offensive and will result in your comment being 'deactivated' on Reach Plc sites for breaching their 'community guidelines'.

 

However, in the grand scheme of things, is 25 that great a number? But my big question is how many of these 25 deaths were entirely preventable, if the victims had chosen to cross that particular road in a safer manner?

 

Too often, we'll see some story in local news about some pedestrian being run over and either seriously injured or killed.

 

But "what actually happened" will never get reported, so in most cases it remains a 'mystery'.

 

I would hazard a guess that in most of these cases, this pedestrian has been maimed or killed through their own stupid fault, by attempting to cross a busy main road where or when it was clearly not safe to do so.

 

I see it all the time, particularly in Sparkbrook near where I work, all along the Stratford Road, people are blindly walking out into moving traffic, despite a plethora of controlled pedestrian crossings, or central reservation refuges. And what alarms me most is people walking out into the road either carrying children, or dragging them by their hands.

 

And then of course there are the 'smartphone zombies' who just casually step into the road while staring at their iPhones.

 

So come on, lets have some truth please, how many of these pedestrian deaths were caused by their own carelessness rather than through any fault of the motorist?

 

It sounds  to me like this group are going about things the wrong way, maybe they should be doing more to educate and inform pedestrians on how to cross roads more safely, that would be a great way to reduce injuries and deaths.

 

Sadly, I think this is just a front or a cover for a more 'anti-car' agenda.

 

 

Using phones while walking around, crossing roads in the dark while dressed in dark colours, not using a crossing because it means walking an extra 30 yards. Crossing when the motorists' light is on green (the number people who do that amazes me) because they just missed the red and can't be bothered to wait. Under the affluence of incahol. Who knows. Some years ago, it was a great tragedy that some dickhead ran across a dual carriageway from the pub at night and was hit by a car. That dual carriageway is crossed by a bridge with a pavement about 20 yards away, a safe subway about 50 yards away, a slightly less safe subway a bit further away in the other direction and a raised walkway. Dickhead.

[Fluke]

Personally think maybe these 20mph zones aren't enough. 10 or even 5mph and maybe lower the motorways to 30mph? This will save many more lives.

 

On a serious note it amazes me that people don't think a car will hurt will them. I've done many stupid things in my time especially when I was a kid which I cringe at now, whether it was cycling onto (which I didn't know at the time was one way traffic I was cycling towards it! When I was 14) my mate rightly gave me a right telling off and even said he'd laugh if I got knocked over. He was looking out for me really.

Ironically he got knocked off by a car 10 minutes later. I of course didn't laugh and luckily he was ok.

 

Or crossing busy junctions and dual carriageways pissed and drugged out of my skull in my late teens early twenties.

 

But the amount of people who don't look before they cross the street is mind boggling. I always look both ways even if it's a one way road lol.

[Malbec]

There is also the cognitive delay/ impact on motorists and pedestrians definitely causing more collisions. Less drivers thinking and planning ahead properly, wanting to move lane last minute.  People sitting there when lights go green for what feels like a lifetime, an abundance of middle lane drivers, often sat using their phones, people seem seem have lost their ability to concentrate on the road as well. 

[jack121]

9 hours ago, Grumpy Owl said:

A protest took place in Birmingham city centre today, where protestors lay in Great Charles Queensway to "represent the 25 road deaths that occur in Birmingham every year".

 

‘Die-in’ protest held in busy Birmingham street after deaths in city

from: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/die-in-protest-held-busy-28524391

 

Just as an aside into the poor quality of local journalism, the above quote is copied verbatim. It was actually "Lordswood Road" in Harborne, not 'Ladywood Road', and this group held a 'protest' not a 'protect'.

 

 

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I don't drive and have never owned a car, so just wanted to make my position clear.

 

This particular group may appear to have noble intentions on the surface, but in reality they are very much 'anti-car' and 'anti-motorist'.

 

It is always tragic when someone loses their life, but in many of these cases there is important context being missed.

 

Yes, it is true that there are a number of idiots who choose to race around everywhere and ignore the Highway Code.

 

It is also true that the word 'idiot' is now considered offensive and will result in your comment being 'deactivated' on Reach Plc sites for breaching their 'community guidelines'.

 

However, in the grand scheme of things, is 25 that great a number? But my big question is how many of these 25 deaths were entirely preventable, if the victims had chosen to cross that particular road in a safer manner?

 

Too often, we'll see some story in local news about some pedestrian being run over and either seriously injured or killed.

 

But "what actually happened" will never get reported, so in most cases it remains a 'mystery'.

 

I would hazard a guess that in most of these cases, this pedestrian has been maimed or killed through their own stupid fault, by attempting to cross a busy main road where or when it was clearly not safe to do so.

 

I see it all the time, particularly in Sparkbrook near where I work, all along the Stratford Road, people are blindly walking out into moving traffic, despite a plethora of controlled pedestrian crossings, or central reservation refuges. And what alarms me most is people walking out into the road either carrying children, or dragging them by their hands.

 

And then of course there are the 'smartphone zombies' who just casually step into the road while staring at their iPhones.

 

So come on, lets have some truth please, how many of these pedestrian deaths were caused by their own carelessness rather than through any fault of the motorist?

 

It sounds  to me like this group are going about things the wrong way, maybe they should be doing more to educate and inform pedestrians on how to cross roads more safely, that would be a great way to reduce injuries and deaths

 

Sadly, I think this is just a front or a cover for a more 'anti-car' agenda.

 

 

We've had greta, then extinction rebellion, then scientist rebellion, then nazi royal backed earthshot, seems there are so many billionaire sponsored groups out there trying to reshape the world, prentending to be our best friends, prentending to be working for the greater good...but is that the case

[Captainlove]

The amount of phone zombies now im surprised the number isnt higher.

[2020member]

The standard of driving and general awareness from “other road users” such as cyclists, pedestrians and scooters etc has become absolutely shambolic since the vaccines. 
 

Wherever possible I try and do all my driving after 8pm these days. 
 

Even so you can still come across someone driving at an absolute snails pace at midnight on a totally empty road who is absolutely oblivious and will not show any road etiquette by pulling over for 5 seconds to let you pass. 
 

Driving boils my piss these days. But it’s all by design. Driving / travelling is freedom. We all know they need to curtail this by 2030. 

[Anti Facts Sir]

Bus runs into pedestrians outside Victoria station.

 

Driver had a "medical emergency", one presumes.

 

[Useyournous]

My father was hit by a car but it was partly due to his elderly over confidence that he could be seen and cars would stop for him. It was a terrible thing for him, us and the driver.

[Grumpy Owl]

'Confusing' signage at junction where sergeant died

Quote

A busy junction with “confusing” signage was partly responsible for the death of a police officer, according to a coroner.

Sgt Paul Frear of West Midlands Police was critically injured when he was struck by a car while walking to work.

The incident happened on Tollhouse Way, Smethwick, in September last year.

Joanne Lees, the Black Country coroner, said there was a risk of future deaths unless action was taken by Sandwell Council.

from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3g0z2rx71vo

 

As I always say, it's always tragic when someone loses their life, but in this case, no matter how they try to spin this and direct blame elsewhere, this chap died as a result of their own stupidity/carelessness.

 

Quote

In a prevention of future death report, external, Ms Lees said the Wolverhampton-based officer was hit at the junction with B4135 Rolfe Street, a section of carriageway which separates into three lanes.

She explained Sgt Frear was hit by a vehicle which was correctly travelling in lane two in accordance with a green light.

The coroner said the pedestrian control panel next to the police officer was showing red, indicating do not cross.

He may also have been distracted by his phone or other pedestrians, she added.

 

My emphasis in bold, that tells you all you need to know. These pedestrian crossing point signals are hardly 'confusing'.

 

Red man = do not cross

Green man = you can cross

 

Quote

However, Ms Lees said she remained concerned about the design of the junction, as it wasn't obvious to pedestrians exactly where they should be looking.

"Lanes one and two are for traffic intending to continue straight on and lane three is for traffic intending to turn right in to Rolfe Street," Ms Lees wrote.

"Traffic in lane three immediately next to Mr Frear was stationary and held by a red filter traffic light.

"However, traffic travelling in lanes one and two was able to continue straight ahead and was directed by a green traffic light."

 

The obvious thing that pedestrians should be looking at is the crossing signal lights.

 

Then when the signal turns green, indicating it is safe to cross, look and make sure the traffic has come to a stop before entering the carriageway, yes there's always that one idiot who decides to ignore the stop light.

 

Quote

A police collision investigator also revealed he had found the scene confusing, her report said.

 

You'd think the police would know better...

[Grumpy Owl]

There have been a spate of deaths on roads in Birmingham in recent weeks, where people have died after cars being driven dangerously have mounted the kerb, which has led to this local pressure group "Better Streets For Birmingham" calling it a 'crisis' and demanding a 'state of emergency' be declared.

 

This group are a bit 'anti-motorist' to be honest, as per earlier posts.

 

However, I get suspicious when the media suddenly jump on this 'crisis' bandwagon. There is a huge difference between people being killed by reckless drivers through no fault of their own, and people being killed because they are, well, idiots who don't know how to cross a road safely.

 

Man badly hurt in ring road crash amid 'road crisis'

Quote

A man was seriously injured after he was struck by a car on a ring road in the West Midlands. The incident was the latest in a string of horrifying road crashes in Birmingham and the wider region.

The victim, a man in his 20s, was rushed to hospital with serious injuries following the late-night crash on Saturday, July 27. Police said he was hit by a car on Stourbridge ring road at around 11pm.

The car driver stopped at the scene and was said to be helping police with their enquiries. A witness appeal was launched with police urging anyone who saw what happened to get in touch.

from: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/man-badly-hurt-ring-road-29629569

 

As is typical of these 'news stories' which are basically just repeats of what agencies have already posted on Twitter, and therefore lack any details about "what happened", all anyone can do is speculate.

 

My best guess is this guy just blindly walked out into the road without looking where they were going, and some motorist was unable to avoid hitting them. The fact that the motorist stayed at the scene and helped police with their enquiries suggests to me that they didn't do anything wrong - usually reckless drivers in uninsured cars just do a "hit and run" and leave the scene as soon as possible.

 

I wouldn't want to speculate too far, but as this happened 'around 11pm' there's also the likelihood that this guy might have been a bit 'pissed' after a drinking session at a local pub.

 

As with the 'climate emergency', as soon as someone declares a 'crisis' you just know there's an agenda at play to make peoples' lives a misery, as well as finding new ways to extract more money from people.

[SuperstarNeilC]

Electric cars are twice the weight of gas guzzlers, so getting run over by one is gonna do a lot more damage.

[Grumpy Owl]

All gone quiet on the 'crisis' here in Birmingham, but still there are injuries and casualties.

 

However I still feel there are two issues at play here.

 

Police update after boy hurt in hit-and-run in Ladypool Road

Quote

A teenage boy who was struck by a hit-and-run driver in Sparkbrook is continuing to recover from his injuries in hospital.

The boy was hit by a vehicle on Ladypool Road shortly before 12.10pm on Monday, May 19.

Issuing a new statement, a West Midlands Police spokesperson told BirminghamLive: "The teenage boy who was hurt remains in hospital where he is recovering from his injuries. "No arrests have been made. Our enquiries are ongoing as officers try to identify the driver involved."

The force previously said: "We were called to a collision involving a car and a pedestrian in Ladypool Road at around 12.10pm.

"A teenage boy was taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

"The car left the scene following the collision and we're carrying out enquiries to trace the vehicle and driver."

from: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/police-update-after-boy-hurt-31702647

 

Of course, as is typical, there's no detail given as to what happened, beyond the usual "someone was struck by a vehicle". And that's all anyone "needs to know" according to the local media.

 

Not just in Sparkbrook of course, there are too many people who just casually stroll out into the road without looking where they are going, or crossing busy roads where it is clearly not safe to do so.

 

I've not been round that way for a while but I know that Ladypool Road is usually congested with parked cars, so speeding is not normally possible. But knowing the way that many idiots drive around those parts, given the opportunity someone has put their foot down and driven inappropriately.

 

While I wasn't there and didn't witness what happened, in the absence of any eyewitness accounts, I can only assume that some poor lad strolled out into the road, blissfully unaware of his surroundings and any hazards, and was struck by some impetuous boy racer, no doubt without any tax or insurance, hence their unwillingness to stop and assist.

 

 

On the other hand we then have this...

 

Woman 'seriously injured' as car overturns in rush hour crash

Quote

A woman was taken to hospital with potentially serious injuries after a car overturned in a rush-hour collision in Birmingham.

Police and paramedics were called to Gospel Lane in Acocks Green just after 8.40am today, Thursday, May 22, to a crash involving two cars.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "We were called to reports of a two-car collision on Gospel Lane in Acocks Green at 8.42am and sent an ambulance, a paramedic officer and the service's critical care car to the scene.

"On arrival, crews found a woman, the driver of one of the cars, in the care of a nurse.

"Crews treated her for potentially serious injuries and conveyed her to Queen Elizabeth Hospital under emergency driving conditions.

"A second woman, from the second car, was assessed and discharged at the scene.”

from: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/woman-seriously-injured-car-overturns-31698770

 

Again, the news article is "light on details" apart from 'there was a collision'.

 

Cars don't just 'overturn' or 'flip-over' by themselves, not if they're being driven within speed limits.

 

Speeding doesn't get you anywhere quicker if you end up in a traffic accident.

 

Again, due to the lack of details in this article, I don't know exactly what happened, but presumably the car that flipped over was being driven by a speeding maniac.

 

Too many motorists rushing to get somewhere quickly - is it a lack of patience, or people just leaving things to the last minute because they are being distracted by other things?

 

As a pedestrian myself, I really do take my life into my own hands when trying to cross any road, so you will have to forgive my excessive caution sometimes, its probably the secret to my longevity!

[Grumpy Owl]

On the subject of dangerous driving, we also have those that fail to stop for the police.

 

While it's never nice to hear that someone has lost their life, one can't help but have a sense of 'karma' about this...

 

Driver who failed to stop for police dies in crash

Quote

A driver died in a crash after failing to stop for police.

West Midlands Police said the 35-year-old man was driving a van that crashed on Lindridge Road, Sutton Coldfield, just before midnight on Thursday evening.

Officers performed CPR but he later died.

The force is appealing for witnesses and has referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74q1879e4wo

 

The article itself is extremely light on details, that's the whole thing quoted right there.

 

No idea why the police wanted to stop this van, or what happened leading up to the crash.

 

But best assumption is that they were clearly up to no good, and then tried driving dangerously in order to get away from the police.

 

On this occasion, it is only thankful that no-one innocent was injured as a result of this crash.

[Grumpy Owl]

No pedestrians involved here, but I'm failing to understand some of the logic being thrown around here.

 

Crash junction still poses risk to life - coroner

Quote

A council has been warned by a coroner to take action to make a Birmingham road junction safer after a motorcyclist was killed in a crash.

Charlotte Noordam was on Frederick Road, Edgbaston, on 8 March, when she failed to comply with a stop sign at the St James Road junction and was hit by an MG3 car, assistant coroner Ana Samuel was told.

Ms Samuel told an inquest there had been at least 27 other incidents at the junction between May 2014 and March this year.

She said there was evidence from the city council to indicate there were potential measures it could take. The authority stated people must be prioritised over vehicles and it would bring forward "a pipeline of projects to tackle this".

from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6ynx00lndo

 

In summary, this motorcyclist ignored clearly marked out signage, and was hit by a vehicle that was doing nothing wrong. 

 

In my opinion, the 'risk to life' at this junction stems from road users failing to follow the Highway Code and driving dangerously.

 

Here's an aerial view of this junction:

 

You can quite clearly see from the satellite imagery that the north-side approach has STOP markings, in contrast to the normal GIVE WAY markings on the south side of Frederick Road. 

 

For those curious enough, have an explore of the scene with Google Street View here. 

 

Quote

The council had said that if a junction was being designed from scratch, it would oppose using a non-signalled crossroad junction, because of "the inherent confusion around priority of movement", Ms Samuel said.

"Whilst the road layout, including signage and road markings, complies with the legal requirements, this does not appear to have mitigated against the prevalence of incidents at the stop junction," she said.

 

"Confusion over priority of movement" - surely that is why we have Give Way and STOP markings/signs at junctions? 

 

Isn't this why we have the Highway Code? Of course, if most motorists ignore the 'rules of the road', then surely any road junction would be considered 'dangerous'?

[k_j_evans]

15 hours ago, Grumpy Owl said:

 

"Confusion over priority of movement" - surely that is why we have Give Way and STOP markings/signs at junctions? 

 

Isn't this why we have the Highway Code? Of course, if most motorists ignore the 'rules of the road', then surely any road junction would be considered 'dangerous'?

Quite. No one seems to understand these rules any more. How many times have I nearly been hit by someone who doesn't understand that a roundabout is still a roundabout even if it is on the access road to a supermarket car park. Can be confusing, of course when two people both want to turn right at a junction from 90 degree angles and both arrive at the same time. Happens a lot at the end of our road.

[pi3141]

 

 

 

 

Let's go lay down in the cycle lanes in protest, no more death on the cycle lanes and pavements. 

 

This is just the tip of the iceberg, there are many more motorists than cyclists, if we increase the bicycles on our streets it will increase the death!

 

We want state of emergency until all cycle paths have been fenced in and cushioned with foam.

 

It's for our own good.

 

Seriously this is the politics of extremism, find a minority cause that most people agree is wrong or sad and elevate it above all other problems and people social positioning will draw them to glthe cause - 

 

I'm at vegan because I care about animals' 

 

Your a meat eater, therefore you do not care about animals.

 

Oh, I want people to know i care about animals, I'll be a vegan.

 

It's identity politics twisted to support extreme agendas.

 

If you support Israel, you support genocide.

 

Let's gloss over the fact that Hamas are an extreme terrorist organisation and deliberately put its military bases under hospitals and schools to create the Genocidal situation.

 

Let's just use identity politics to frame the argument, support freedom or support genocide.

 

Every normal person will support freedom and so they can virtue signal their identity politics will go to rally and chant 'stop the genocide'

 

We see this crap all over the world, it's a well worn tactic.

 

We have facial recognition vans to catch sex offenders, if you disagree on the grounds of privacy, your probably a sex offenders who doesn't want to get caught.

 

Protesting about immigrants? Your right wing and support nazism and probably a violent thug.

 

Using identity politics with extreme situations to draw in virtue signallers to start a grass roots movement to push a political agenda.

 

How many of these are really grass roots.

 

That's another virtue signaling 'Oh yah I'm involved with a grass roots protest group right now, we're taking on big oil for the good of the planet, we love our children so we care about the environment '

 

'Hey I love my kids to, I should join your group' 

 

So 25 deaths on the streets is enough to clamp down on motorists but thousands of dead orphans at the hands of the Church does nothing.

 

We used to protest about stopping war and world peace. 

 

Now they chant for terrorists.

 

 

[Mikhail Liebestein]

On 1/27/2024 at 10:43 PM, k_j_evans said:

Using phones while walking around, 

 

I recall an old black and white comedy sketch with a bowler hatted city type reading a newspaper whilst walking and falling down an open manhole without a cover.

 

But from this, the joke may be even older:

 

[pi3141]

To be honest, I've always thought it was dumb to have pedestrians walking within 3 feet to 1 ton boxes of metal traveling at 30 mph without any barriers.

 

I used to think they should dig the road so it's a couple of feet lower than the pavement. That way it would be difficult for a car to mount the pavement and awkward for pedestrians to cross where they like.

 

Or there's something like this - 

 

 

But obviously they'll use the situation to call for car free neighborhoods, more speed restrictions, measures to persuade people to use a failing public transport system.

 

Etc etc. 

 

They won't fix the problem by reconsidering the current model an improve it.

 

Seems they want to use failing systems and low public finances to sell off, shut down, or give control to private sector of every aspect of our lives.

 

 

[jack121]

I made it a rule never to rush across the road if I spot a break in the traffic. After a few near misses, it is not worth it. Better to wait an extra thirty seconds and ensure your safety.

[Grumpy Owl]

Dangerous driving is one thing, but pedestrians don't do themselves favours trying to cross roads where they shouldn't.

 

Two arrested as woman hit by car dies

Quote

Two men have been arrested after a woman was fatally struck by a car.

Police were called to reports of two pedestrians being struck on Brassington Avenue in Sutton Coldfield shortly before 00:00 BST on Friday.

A 21-year-old died at the scene, while another woman was treated for a leg injury, which is not thought to be life-threatening.

The men have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and remain in custody while inquiries continue. Police said their thoughts were with the family of the killed woman and urged anyone with dashcam footage to get in touch.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp37p2q5w2ko

 

This is not the first time there has been a fatality on this road in Sutton Coldfield, over ten years ago now a 91 year old man was knocked over by a speeding motorist, and sadly died a few months later.

 

Quote

A man who was late for work and driving at almost twice the speed limit has been jailed after he knocked down a 91-year-old man, who later died.

Gurpreet Sandhu hit Horace Downes as he crossed Brassington Avenue, Sutton Coldfield, to go to place a bet.

Mr Downes died of an infection four months after the November crash.

Sandhu, 27, of Church Lane, Handsworth, who previously admitted dangerous driving, was jailed for three years and banned from driving for seven.

He was driving about 56mph in a 30mph zone when he hit Mr Downes, West Midlands Police said.

from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-34187490

 

For those unfamiliar with the scene, Brassington Avenue is part of the A5127 where it becomes a one-way ring-road around the town centre of Sutton Coldfield, north-east of Birmingham. 

 

 

I've circled in green on the above map where there are two controlled pedestrian crossing points. Both Park Road and Manor Road provide access to Sutton Park, so in my opinion, both those crossings are ideally situated for pedestrians heading to the park from the town centre (and vice versa). The rest of Brassington Avenue is pretty much no-man's land for pedestrians, while the traffic only moves in one direction, it can be busy and it is not uncommon for motorists to speed along there, as seen above.

 

Neither story I mentioned above states exactly where on this road the pedestrians were struck. But in my opinion, if you casually step out into the road between those two crossing points then you're taking your life into your own hands, no matter if motorists are driving dangerously or not.