Friday 14 July 2023 – mid to late morning

It rarely feels safe to use the zebra crossings in Flockton – whether at the shop end or, in this case, outside the school (school crossing railing visible in the foreground). It's not the first time a car has stopped to let pedestrians cross and then been shunted from behind by another vehicle. Although speeding above the 20mph limit may contribute to these situations, a greater issue seems to be driver attention to both, where they are, and what is happening ahead. In a village like Flockton, where the road is narrower and more congested than your average A-road, everyone – drivers and pedestrians, must always be alert to what is happening around them.

Local resident (JC) commented on our fb social media page:

"This was just the latest crash on the zebra crossing by the school. You can’t see the other car it was shunted across the crossing… A silver Peugeot stopped to allow my husband and the dog to cross, he was a quarter of the way across when he realised the black car was coming way too fast to stop so he stepped back. The black car hit the silver one with such force it was pushed over the crossing. The airbag went off in the black car and it will most certainly be a right off. It was leaking fluid from every orifice at the front, the passenger door wouldn’t open so it was all twisted.

"When the police came to get our CCTV footage they said they have never seen a 20mph through a village without other slowing methods, humps, rumble strips, cameras, etc.

"How many more near misses will it take before something is done. Or does it take a fatality????? It’s a school crossing!!!!!!!"

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Posted by JC shortly after the car shunt, this happened. Not only was the car very noisy and speeding excessively, but given that JC was at the crossing, by law the driver should have slowed to a stop on an assumption a pedestrian was about to cross.

14/07/202 11:25am

Since 29 January 2022 the Highway Code (Rule H2) states that "…when it comes to pedestrians on a zebra and parallel crossing, drivers, motorcyclists, and cyclists, must give way to pedestrians waiting to cross."

And Rule 195: Zebra and parallel crossings.

As you approach a zebra crossing:

• • look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross
  • you should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross
  • you MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing
  • allow more time for stopping on wet or icy roads
  • do not wave, flash your lights or use your horn to invite pedestrians across; this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching
  • be patient, do not sound your horn or rev your engine as this can be intimidating
  • be aware of pedestrians approaching from the side of the crossing.

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Editorial comment: Residents have mentioned a number of things they'd like from Kirklees Council, pending a bypass or link road. These include cameras, speed bumps, and traffic lights at pedestrian crossings. The Council will talk about both cost and a need for fatalities to justify the expense for such suggestions – hence the current compromise of 20 mph signage.

I wasn't aware that Highways put speed bumps on A-roads, but given this statement (found on the Internet) perhaps they do:

"Speed bumps should be fitted on roads that have a speed limit of a maximum of 30 mph. Speed bumps are to be affixed for an area to have a 20 mph speed limit and where there are street lights and low traffic."

Interesting that the word "should" is used.

However, some organisations, such as the AA, say:

"As we discovered in a 2016 survey, inventions such as speed bumps are not exactly beloved. While effective when properly used, traffic calming measures have been accused of increasing exhaust fumes from braking cars, slowing down emergency vehicles and angering residents."

If you mention 'average speed over distance' cameras at each end of the village, critics suggest that people may turn into, or out of, side roads, but generally, the vast majority of traffic is simply driving through the village from one end to the other, in either direction. Perhaps, given the danger of using the zebra (Pelican) crossings, they should have traffic lights added.

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