Call for traffic lights to be installed after boy knocked down on zebra crossing (From York Press)
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Call for traffic lights to be installed after boy knocked down on zebra crossing
10:10am Friday 7th December 2012 in News
By Richard Catton, richard.catton@thepress.co.uk
Flynn Graver sports a nasty looking bump on his head
THE mother of a three-year-old boy who was hit by a car on a zebra crossing in York has described it as the worst moment of her life.
Katie Graver and her son, Flynn, were using the crossing near their home in Haxby Road when the youngster was hit by the car and knocked to the ground.
Flynn escaped with minor head injuries but his mother said he was “massively lucky”. The accident happened shortly after 9am on Tuesday last week.
Mrs Graver said: “We started off on the side near Blockbuster video shop and the first car stopped. Another car was up the road near the shops so we set off.
“After a couple of seconds I realised they hadn’t seen us.”
She said the car which had stopped flashed its lights to warn the oncoming driver someone was on the crossing, but the car still struck Flynn.
“It was horrendous,” said Mrs Graver. “It was the worst moment of my life. He hit the pavement and he was a bit sore on the side where car had hit him. An ambulance took him to hospital and we were out later that day. He was massively lucky.”
She said the female driver of the car “felt terrible” about the accident, but Mrs Graver has now called for the zebra crossing to be replaced.
“This happened at 9am in the morning. It wasn’t raining and was fine. People don’t always stop,” she said. “I think there needs to be traffic lights. There needs to be a pelican crossing.”
Police confirmed they were alerted to what had happened by ambulance staff.
A police spokesman said: “It is important that all motorists concentrate on the road while driving. “Road signs and pedestrian crossings are there for a reason, which is to ensure the safety of the general public.
“People must be particularly mindful of zebra crossings as a lapse of concentration could have potentially devastating consequences.”
Comments(38)
paintitred
says...
10:37am Fri 7 Dec 12
one side has limited vision from a drivers point of view as there is a tree obstructing clear vision of the start of the crossing added to the reduced power of the street lights it is asking for trouble. That said if vision and lighting is limited then drivers should be more switched on and observant.
However A zebra crossing on a double junction with reduced vision and dim street lighting is not very clever at all.is it?
pedalling paul
says...
10:42am Fri 7 Dec 12
20m mph zones can also help If my memory serves me well, there's a primary school close by that particular zebra. All the more reason for a lower speed limit.
Kevin Turvey
says...
10:51am Fri 7 Dec 12
Pelican and Toucans have a worse safety record than Zebras. Many pedestrians cross as soon as the green man lights, without checking first that all approaching drivers have stopped. Making that vital check can be a lifesaver.
20m mph zones can also help If my memory serves me well, there's a primary school close by that particular zebra. All the more reason for a lower speed limit.’
Very nice comment but does not compute into real life, in my experience there is an element of cyclists not stopping as well.
Not very funny when I stop as a driver or motorcyclist and the cyclists just go straight through ignoring the highway code and indeed the person attempting to cross the road legally!
ReflectiveVest
says...
11:05am Fri 7 Dec 12
again
says...
11:08am Fri 7 Dec 12
There are too many people making that text or changing that track instead of looking where they are going to trust 'em.
pedalling paul
says...
11:10am Fri 7 Dec 12
Big Bad Wolf
says...
11:11am Fri 7 Dec 12
I am surprised that the car hit the child and not his mother as well.
garyleedodson
says...
11:24am Fri 7 Dec 12
You MUST NOT stop or park on
the carriageway or the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency (see Rule 270)
a pedestrian crossing, including the area marked by the zig-zag lines (see Rule 191)
a clearway (download ‘Traffic signs’ (PDF, 486KB))
taxi bays as indicated by upright signs and markings
an Urban Clearway within its hours of operation, except to pick up or set down passengers (download ‘Traffic signs’ (PDF, 486KB))
a road marked with double white lines, even when a broken white line is on your side of the road, except to pick up or set down passengers, or to load or unload goods
a tram or cycle lane during its period of operation
a cycle track
red lines, in the case of specially designated ‘red routes’, unless otherwise indicated by signs. Any vehicle may enter a bus lane to stop, load or unload where this is not prohibited (see Rule 140).
Laws MT(E&W)R regs 7 & 9, MT(S)R regs 6 & 8, ZPPPCRGD regs 18 & 20, RTRA sects 5, 6 & 8, TSRGD regs 10, 26 & 27, RTA 1988 sects 21(1) & 36
241. Also the Londis shop getting deliverys during the time children are going to school by that crossing the lorry parks half on the footpath making it hard for pedestrians and road users.
garyleedodson
says...
11:27am Fri 7 Dec 12
10:51am Fri 7 Dec 12
‘pedalling paul says...10:42am Fri 7 Dec 12
Pelican and Toucans have a worse safety record than Zebras. Many pedestrians cross as soon as the green man lights, without checking first that all approaching drivers have stopped. Making that vital check can be a lifesaver.
20m mph zones can also help If my memory serves me well, there's a primary school close by that particular zebra. All the more reason for a lower speed limit.’
Ignatius Lumpopo
says...
11:50am Fri 7 Dec 12
An albeit minor problem with installing a pelican in this location is the audible crossing signal 24/7 which would drive residents bonkers.
powerwatt
says...
12:15pm Fri 7 Dec 12
powerwatt
says...
12:16pm Fri 7 Dec 12
Thisisnotasmile
says...
12:34pm Fri 7 Dec 12
Buzz Light-year
says...
12:40pm Fri 7 Dec 12
pedalling paul wrote:What a load of rowlocks.
Pelican and Toucans have a worse safety record than Zebras. Many pedestrians cross as soon as the green man lights, without checking first that all approaching drivers have stopped. Making that vital check can be a lifesaver. 20m mph zones can also help If my memory serves me well, there's a primary school close by that particular zebra. All the more reason for a lower speed limit.
Zebras should be phased out, they are dangerous and widely ignored.
Buzz Light-year
says...
12:44pm Fri 7 Dec 12
ReflectiveVest wrote:I know which I'd prefer to be hit by thank you very much.
Kevin is right, cyclists not stopping at crossings is a far worse problem than drivers not stopping. The contempt shown by some cyclists for pedestrians knows no bounds; one can only assume they never get off and walk anywhere themselves. Welded into their seats pehaps.
Really, a kid gets hit by a car and it's reason to start banging on about cyclists?
Kevin Turvey
says...
12:53pm Fri 7 Dec 12
Really, a kid gets hit by a car and it's reason to start banging on about cyclists?’
No reason required! but any tenuous excuse is good for me for a bit of cyclist fundamentalist baiting!
I also think James Alexander should resign over this!
Kevin Turvey
says...
12:54pm Fri 7 Dec 12
I know which I'd prefer to be hit by thank you very much.’
The car! because at least they should be insured
roskoboskovic
says...
1:00pm Fri 7 Dec 12
Pete the Brickie
says...
1:09pm Fri 7 Dec 12
Davroshasissues
says...
1:24pm Fri 7 Dec 12
Glad the poor bairn is alright, i can't imagine what his mum went through, awful...
This is clearly a case of driver not paying attention, so this being the case, any kind of crossing could be ignored by a careless driver. which baffles me, they are quite obvious...
Davroshasissues
says...
1:28pm Fri 7 Dec 12
Ichabod76
says...
1:44pm Fri 7 Dec 12
Davroshasissues wrote:anyone who steps out in front of a moving vehicle is an idiot in my book
No, the rule is as soon as a foot is stepped on the zebra crossing then any approaching cars should stop and allow the pedestrian to cross. The person should be fully stepped off the crossing before the car is safe to move off.
Glad the poor bairn is alright, i can't imagine what his mum went through, awful...
This is clearly a case of driver not paying attention, so this being the case, any kind of crossing could be ignored by a careless driver. which baffles me, they are quite obvious...
Davroshasissues
says...
1:56pm Fri 7 Dec 12
But not on a zebra crossing which sole purpose is to allow the safe crossing of a road.
This woman and child have probably done this a hundred times or more, they expect cars to stop, as they should, drivers need to be mindful, obey the rules, PAY ATTENTION.
As a driver you cannot take your eyes off the road for a second, everything is a hazard, side roads, crossings, children running ahead of adults on the pavement, side winds, potholes, other drivers...the list is endless...don't get complacent...
was york now rotherham
says...
2:16pm Fri 7 Dec 12
inthesticks
says...
2:18pm Fri 7 Dec 12
Ichabod76 wrote:I`m sure that when I learnt to drive there is something in the highway code that states that cars do not automatically have the right of way over any other road user, even or especially pedestrians. Or maybe it was something my instructor said but I remember it. Some car drivers think that the road belongs to them.
Davroshasissues wrote:anyone who steps out in front of a moving vehicle is an idiot in my book
No, the rule is as soon as a foot is stepped on the zebra crossing then any approaching cars should stop and allow the pedestrian to cross. The person should be fully stepped off the crossing before the car is safe to move off.
Glad the poor bairn is alright, i can't imagine what his mum went through, awful...
This is clearly a case of driver not paying attention, so this being the case, any kind of crossing could be ignored by a careless driver. which baffles me, they are quite obvious...
Glad this little boy is OK.
Ageing Hippy
says...
2:36pm Fri 7 Dec 12
Davroshasissues wrote:Why write incorrect rubbish like this? The Highway code states in Rules for pedestrians 1 - 35 part 2; crossing 18 - 30 part 18 that
No, the rule is as soon as a foot is stepped on the zebra crossing then any approaching cars should stop and allow the pedestrian to cross. The person should be fully stepped off the crossing before the car is safe to move off.
Glad the poor bairn is alright, i can't imagine what his mum went through, awful...
This is clearly a case of driver not paying attention, so this being the case, any kind of crossing could be ignored by a careless driver. which baffles me, they are quite obvious...
18
At all crossings. When using any type of crossing you should
always check that the traffic has stopped before you start to cross or push a pram onto a crossing
always cross between the studs or over the zebra markings. Do not cross at the side of the crossing or on the zig-zag lines, as it can be dangerous.
You MUST NOT loiter on any type of crossing.
Laws ZPPPCRGD reg 19 & RTRA sect 25(5)
Thankfully the child is ok but the Mother must take some resposibility.
Caecilius
says...
3:43pm Fri 7 Dec 12
Ageing Hippy wrote:If you read the report, the car in the immediate vicinity of the crossing HAD stopped. The other vehicle was "up the road" and Mrs Graver, quite rightly, stepped out on the crossing. The driver who hit the little boy not only failed to notice the belisha beacons, the road markings and two people on their way across, she also failed to register that another car had stopped and that its driver was flashing their headlights at her. Her situational awareness was clearly nonexistent and the collision was entirely her fault. When Mrs Graver stepped out onto the crossing, the car was sufficiently far away for her to have had time to walk half way across before it reached her, and for the driver who'd obeyed the law to have seen what was about to happen and to have reacted by trying to signal the oncoming vehicle.
Davroshasissues wrote:Why write incorrect rubbish like this? The Highway code states in Rules for pedestrians 1 - 35 part 2; crossing 18 - 30 part 18 that
No, the rule is as soon as a foot is stepped on the zebra crossing then any approaching cars should stop and allow the pedestrian to cross. The person should be fully stepped off the crossing before the car is safe to move off.
Glad the poor bairn is alright, i can't imagine what his mum went through, awful...
This is clearly a case of driver not paying attention, so this being the case, any kind of crossing could be ignored by a careless driver. which baffles me, they are quite obvious...
18
At all crossings. When using any type of crossing you should
always check that the traffic has stopped before you start to cross or push a pram onto a crossing
always cross between the studs or over the zebra markings. Do not cross at the side of the crossing or on the zig-zag lines, as it can be dangerous.
You MUST NOT loiter on any type of crossing.
Laws ZPPPCRGD reg 19 & RTRA sect 25(5)
Thankfully the child is ok but the Mother must take some resposibility.
Too many people drive round half asleep, or at any rate not concentrating on the road. Like the man who came close to running into me this Wednesday morning, by following the car in front straight out of St Denys' Road without pausing to check whether someone with the right of way was coming down Piccadilly.
Ageing Hippy
says...
5:56pm Fri 7 Dec 12
was york now rotherham wrote:quite right, look left, look right and look left again.
The women in the car should of gone to specsavers and if i remember from my child hood growing up in Huntington we were always tought The Green Cross Code at primary school and that included useing zebra crossings and pellican crossings.
Maquis
says...
6:09pm Fri 7 Dec 12
If drivers are aware that people are likely to walk out on a pedestrian crossing, they will in general be more aware. If pedestrians are aware that the cars coming might not have seen them, they will be more wary when they cross.
(However this does not apply in cases such as this where the driver does not seem to be aware of very much and by the sounds of the reporting would have crashed into whatever happened to be there at the time, be it a child, wall or oil tanker)
Back to the point
When you draw cycle lanes on the road, drivers will drive with them in mind, not the cyclists as that is their space, this is mine. Without the lines, cycles would still be on the left hand side of the road, the cars would give them the desired amount of room, and cyclists would be more aware of the cars that they are sharing the road with, instead they are squeezed by the narrow lanes that have been shoehorned into our existing road network, meaning that drivers tend not to feel the need to give them that extra bit of room.
A good example of instruction over common sense can be proved by the people who drive into fields because their sat nav has told them to.
Take away peoples free will to do the right thing, and they will do only what they are told, right or wrong.
yorkborn66
says...
6:20pm Fri 7 Dec 12
garyleedodson wrote:I got 3 points and a £60.00 fine for parking outside the RBS Bank in York
I am amazed that this isn't happening more frequent as cars are always parking on the ZIGZAG outside Blockbuster and the Laundrett and the Bank.Rule240 from the highway code:
You MUST NOT stop or park on
the carriageway or the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency (see Rule 270)
a pedestrian crossing, including the area marked by the zig-zag lines (see Rule 191)
a clearway (download ‘Traffic signs’ (PDF, 486KB))
taxi bays as indicated by upright signs and markings
an Urban Clearway within its hours of operation, except to pick up or set down passengers (download ‘Traffic signs’ (PDF, 486KB))
a road marked with double white lines, even when a broken white line is on your side of the road, except to pick up or set down passengers, or to load or unload goods
a tram or cycle lane during its period of operation
a cycle track
red lines, in the case of specially designated ‘red routes’, unless otherwise indicated by signs. Any vehicle may enter a bus lane to stop, load or unload where this is not prohibited (see Rule 140).
Laws MT(E&W)R regs 7 & 9, MT(S)R regs 6 & 8, ZPPPCRGD regs 18 & 20, RTRA sects 5, 6 & 8, TSRGD regs 10, 26 & 27, RTA 1988 sects 21(1) & 36
241. Also the Londis shop getting deliverys during the time children are going to school by that crossing the lorry parks half on the footpath making it hard for pedestrians and road users.
The offence code, PC 30. I was not parked on the zigzags, but that was over 3 years ago. Bishopthorpe road crossing is really bad, especially when the florists, Hgv amongst other large vehicles block and obscure the crossing.
Combine this with people who drive and ride like idiots; I am surprised nothing serious has happened there as well.
Pleased that the lad will make a full recovery – could have been allot worse.
yorkborn66
says...
6:28pm Fri 7 Dec 12
yorkborn66 wrote:PC30- Contravention of pedestrian crossing regulations with stationary vehicle
garyleedodson wrote:I got 3 points and a £60.00 fine for parking outside the RBS Bank in York
I am amazed that this isn't happening more frequent as cars are always parking on the ZIGZAG outside Blockbuster and the Laundrett and the Bank.Rule240 from the highway code:
You MUST NOT stop or park on
the carriageway or the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency (see Rule 270)
a pedestrian crossing, including the area marked by the zig-zag lines (see Rule 191)
a clearway (download ‘Traffic signs’ (PDF, 486KB))
taxi bays as indicated by upright signs and markings
an Urban Clearway within its hours of operation, except to pick up or set down passengers (download ‘Traffic signs’ (PDF, 486KB))
a road marked with double white lines, even when a broken white line is on your side of the road, except to pick up or set down passengers, or to load or unload goods
a tram or cycle lane during its period of operation
a cycle track
red lines, in the case of specially designated ‘red routes’, unless otherwise indicated by signs. Any vehicle may enter a bus lane to stop, load or unload where this is not prohibited (see Rule 140).
Laws MT(E&W)R regs 7 & 9, MT(S)R regs 6 & 8, ZPPPCRGD regs 18 & 20, RTRA sects 5, 6 & 8, TSRGD regs 10, 26 & 27, RTA 1988 sects 21(1) & 36
241. Also the Londis shop getting deliverys during the time children are going to school by that crossing the lorry parks half on the footpath making it hard for pedestrians and road users.
The offence code, PC 30. I was not parked on the zigzags, but that was over 3 years ago. Bishopthorpe road crossing is really bad, especially when the florists, Hgv amongst other large vehicles block and obscure the crossing.
Combine this with people who drive and ride like idiots; I am surprised nothing serious has happened there as well.
Pleased that the lad will make a full recovery – could have been allot worse.
Magicman!
says...
4:09am Sat 8 Dec 12
The Haxby Road is seen by some drivers as just a quick way out of the city, and this is further seen up in New Earswick where drivers often ignore the mini roundabouts. The zebra crossing outside Blockbusters could do with better highlighting before anything else is done to it... I seem to remember back in the late 1990's Amey flagged it up as not having enough direct light shining on the crossing surface, but the council have never put it on the books to have either a decent floodlight or a "zebra lantern" fitted on a lighting column. This, as well as an adance warning sign of the crossing, should be the next stage before anything drastic such as installing a signallised crossing is done.
There are too many locations where pedestrians seem to be nannied over the road when realistically they could cross with either just a zebra or an island and a bit of brain power.
In addition we have a lot of pedestrian crossings in stupid locations, such as the zebra at the top of coppergate on a corner where buses turn.... there's another crossing less than 50 meters away so why is there a zebra too??
catty69
says...
2:49pm Sat 8 Dec 12
yorkshirelad
says...
7:54pm Sat 8 Dec 12
In the driver's defence, saying that she felt terrible at least displayed a level of humanity and common sense absent from some of the more thuggish posts above.
davew17
says...
8:28pm Sat 8 Dec 12
Sawday2
says...
9:51pm Sat 8 Dec 12
York1900
says...
10:08am Mon 10 Dec 12
All drivers should have to have a eye test every 5 years
and a fitness to drive test every 10 years that would be a written test on the highway code
and every 15 years a practical driving test
speeding, drink driving and using a moblie while driving should all so be require a full retake of the driving test
asd says...
10:23am Fri 7 Dec 12