One of my bugbears is the poor observance by motorists here of pedestrian crossings. Yesterday I was taking my little boy in his pram to the creche and crossing a zebra crossing on Riehenring near the Messe was like taking the walk of death.
The Swiss Highway code states that cars should stop when a pedestrian shows a clear intention to cross - however standing with one foot on the crossing appears to be a signal to accelerate to some people.
Then there are the drivers who drive up to a crossing at top speed, then slam on the anchors and give you a dirty look because you didn't dare to step out until they had actually stopped.
That's shocking, the statistics on fatalities, given the quality of roads/vehicles and visibility here.
My speculation is that many of these accidents would have occurred when the pedestrian dithered, leading to confusing signal to the driver. I simply can't imagine drivers not braking when they spot someone crossing the road.
That said, I have noticed the motorist's behavior is vastly more rash near Seebach than it is in the central Zurich...so perhaps each region has a different set of codes/standards
I think the law here is the problem, it give the right to pedestrians, who are the most vulnerable, and the Swiss do love to be in the right. So they do regularily step off without even looking (cue MP3 player), get hit (as reported) and then say I had right of way.... probably very satisfying in casualty or etched on their tombstone.
That said I've also witnessed and driven behind the 4rseholes who show no effort to break when someone is clearly waiting to cross, which is just ignorant and dangerous. So I think rather than relying on a law that is pretty unmanagable, maybe better awareness and common sense from both sides would make things a little safer.
Totally agree with PapaGoose there. Having a law doesn't mean drivers will stop. It's best not to take it for granted else I can imagine some drivers wishing that one day pedestrians will be "knocked" into their senses and not be so high and mighty when approaching a zebra crossing.
The majority of car drivers do stop. The vast majority of cyclists don't. I've had a few near misses with both categories. And I don't dither. I keep thinking I should carry a few marbles or ball-bearings in my pocket to throw at cars that don't stop. ( Not at cyclists, I don't want to injure them ). In the UK, occasionally there are idiots who don't stop for zebra crossings, but I've not experienced that as often as here. ( It's quite scary when a 40 tonne HGV stops so that you can cross! )
On the other side of the wheel, at night, and when it is raining especially, be careful when you cross the road as a pedestrian. It's really difficult for drivers to see you, especially if you're wearing dark clothing. It's really difficult to see there's a crossing there at all, often!
This one has been discussed before, IMHO part of the problem lays with the poor placing of some pedestrian crossings and the driver frustration that results. In general, I think the seperation between pedestrians and traffic is dreadful in Switzerland, especially in car parks where often there is no path or pedestrian walking zone, you're expected to mingle with the traffic.
(e.g. the Migros car park at Brunnau - this one is one of the worst I've ever seen)
I hate the way pedestrian crossings are placed so close to roundabouts that cars have to stop before they've fully exited the roundabout. it's a b*gger when you're third in line and looking to the left for cars entering the roundabout - you nip in and then everything comes to a sudden stop.
Had I a vote here, I would happily support that. Maybe someone with the ability to start something off could do so...?
I also saw another accident on Sunday night in Bumpliz where a person was lying some three metres from the pedestrian crossing, with the car on the wrong side of it by that amount. No idea what happened, but the ambulance crew didn't seem to be hurrying much when they saw the patient.
This subject was discussed at break today and the locals there seemed definitely to favour 'walk and hope for the best'.
Try standing at the side of a straight road in a suburban industrial area (no visual obstructions) with a day-glo jacketed traffic policeman and a group of young children wearing reflective strips, some of who are actually walking across the crossing at the time , while watching a driver hurtle across the other lane (about a metre away from the first child in the crocodile) at something like sixty miles an hour.
Then imagine again.
And that selfish bint wasn't the only one that day, either. It would appear that clear visibility, actually being on the crossing, and even the presence of a traffic policeman are simply not enough to signal 'intent to cross' to some impatient drivers.
What hope, then, for the elderly, the infirm and the cautious?
It would appear to be true in Canton Congo, where I was forced onto a main road by a cyclist who preferred to puff her way up the narrow pavement than risk mixing it with the proper vehicles yesterday evening.
Interesting you mention Bumpliz. I work there and I have to use a crossing to get to work and it's always a bit of a lottery. On one occasion, I was waiting for the traffic to stop and a woman driver kindly did so, I started to cross, giving her a friendly "thank you" wave, only to be nearly taken out by the White Van Man OVERTAKING her at the crossing.
Actually this is what bugs me: the lack of uniform standard. I find extremely courteous drivers who stop and wave their hand to encourage "you first", but as you move away from the city central, it becomes different. Suddenly I am reminded of Indian roads where the "implicit" rule is the vehicles (and the bigger the better) always have the right of way . Atleast if that rule were followed with consistency pedestrians would be more guarded, and therefore safer.
That's a case in point, why would it be considered safe to ride on the pavement.... but if there's a law daft or not, someone, also daft or not, will follow it. Forget the cane and use a broadsword.... the extra length will keep you away from the mess!
What kills me is folks who jaywalk mere meters away from a pedestrian crossing. Near the station in Nyon there are 5 crossings within 100 meters of each other and people still slowly strut across 10 meters from the nearest one. I jaywalk but take it upon myself to get the fock out of the way if a car's coming!