Pet peeve

[Fairlington124]

It’s much more than annoying (since you described it as a pet peeve). It’s illegal in Maryland and some other states. Not sure about DC/Virginia.

http://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2005/gtr/21-502.html

Quote:

(c) If, at a marked crosswalk or at an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, a vehicle is stopped to let a pedestrian cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear may not overtake and pass the stopped vehicle.

[napes]

Vehicles passing at crosswalks is a pet peeve as well. Falls Church Representative Kaye Kory has given thought on the issue to try to clarify the pertinent Virginia Code. See
https://www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2014/hb320/
https://www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2013/hb1895/

Virginia Bicycle Federation has tracked this effort. http://www.vabike.org/hb82-cleared-hb320-delayed/

The only reason drivers can go above a walking speed is a compromise in the 1920’s whereby pedestrians were pushed to the side in exchange for pedestrian priority at crosswalks. Drivers now seem oblivious to their responsibilities at crosswalks. A crosswalk with multiple lanes of traffic is a particularly dangerous situation as people on foot or on bicycle may be obscured by stopped vehicles. The Uniform Vehicle Code has long had specific language for this situation.

Uniform Vehicle Code (UVC) § 11-502(d)
“Whenever any vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk or any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass such stopped vehicle.”

According to Traffic Laws Annotated 1979, https://books.google.com/books?id=f3xPAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=%22whenever%20any%20vehicle%20is%20stopped%20at%20a%20marked%22&f=false at least 41 states have laws in place in general accord with this Uniform Vehicle Code language.

Maryland’s law is in verbatim conformity http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2016rs/statute_google/gtr/21-502.pdf

Virginia’s current law is a mess, embedded in a code talking about railroad crossings, https://vacode.org/46.2-858/. Best guess is that maybe 10% of Virginia law enforcement personnel would interpret the current Virginia Code on “Passing at a railroad grade crossing” to include crosswalks. Nonetheless the book above links Virginia’s language to this particular UVC code, and notes that Virginia Code has:

“or while pedestrians are passing or about to pass in front of either of such vehicles, unless permitted so to do by a traffic light or police officer. (emphasis added.)”

One hopes that our legislators can eventually help clarify the Virginia Code so the issue could receive better enforcement.

[BTC_DC]

I see this all the time trying to cross GW Parkway, and elsewhere.

Once when driving along the upper end of 16th St. NW I had stopped for a cyclist to cross, but it was so bad with cars continuing to pass in the other lane that I eventually decided to move my car sideways to block both lanes… You can only imagine all the car horns as a result, which made it all the more enjoyable as the cyclist was finally able to cross.

[jrenaut]

The solution is to remove all two-lane roads.

[dbb]

@jrenaut 141030 wrote:

The solution is to remove all two-lane roads.

Road diets for everyone!

[dkel]

I almost got creamed in a crosswalk when some turkey passed the stopped cars in his lane by driving up the wrong side of the road, only to discover me in front of his bumper. Passing stopped cars at a crosswalk may or may not be illegal in VA, but I’m pretty sure driving on the wrong side of the double yellow line is.

[baiskeli]

@jrenaut 141030 wrote:

The solution is to remove all two-lane roads.

I seriously think that’s the solution at certain high-risk crossings.

[ginacico]

The worst are crosswalks that are NOT at an intersection and cross multiple lanes of traffic. As said above, the crosswalk may be obscured by stopped vehicles. True even if you’re not the one in the crosswalk.

I had just that situation the other day, coming down Clarendon Blvd. I was flying downhill past Courthouse. As I’m in my blissfully clear corridor of a bike lane, I saw cars in the vehicle lanes slowing down just before N Scott St. I figured the cars were just bogged down in traffic as usual, until I saw the stripes for the crosswalk, and I instinctively hit the brakes. Sure enough, a woman with a stroller appeared and finished crossing the road. Gladly, I’d stopped before I ever knew she was there.

[Anonymous]

@jrenaut 141030 wrote:

The solution is to remove all two-lane roads.

I’ve almost been hit before by someone who used the shoulder to pass the car that had stopped for us, so gotta get rid of shoulders, too. Basically any paved space that a driver might think they can squeeze through. Since there was no oncoming traffic (and nice long sightlines), I assume the reason he used the shoulder rather than passing on the left using the oncoming lane is that he SAW us in the crosswalk, but just couldn’t be bothered to wait til we were through.

[dasgeh]

@ginacico 141041 wrote:

The worst are crosswalks that are NOT at an intersection and cross multiple lanes of traffic. As said above, the crosswalk may be obscured by stopped vehicles. True even if you’re not the one in the crosswalk.

I had just that situation the other day, coming down Clarendon Blvd. I was flying downhill past Courthouse. As I’m in my blissfully clear corridor of a bike lane, I saw cars in the vehicle lanes slowing down just before N Scott St. I figured the cars were just bogged down in traffic as usual, until I saw the stripes for the crosswalk, and I instinctively hit the brakes. Sure enough, a woman with a stroller appeared and finished crossing the road. Gladly, I’d stopped before I ever knew she was there.

But the key is when you see other vehicles stopped, you (in a vehicle or on a bike when it’s a “vehicle”) should slow and be ready/able to stop until you can ascertain why the other vehicles stopping. This point seems to be lost on many drivers.

Oh, and to the OP: please report the near miss. Police and design folks track such things.

[jrenaut]

@Amalitza 141050 wrote:

I’ve almost been hit before by someone who used the shoulder to pass the car that had stopped for us, so gotta get rid of shoulders, too. Basically any paved space that a driver might think they can squeeze through. Since there was no oncoming traffic (and nice long sightlines), I assume the reason he used the shoulder rather than passing on the left using the oncoming lane is that he SAW us in the crosswalk, but just couldn’t be bothered to wait til we were through.

This sort of person should probably be in jail.

[Fairlington124]

@ginacico 141041 wrote:

The worst are crosswalks that are NOT at an intersection and cross multiple lanes of traffic. As said above, the crosswalk may be obscured by stopped vehicles. True even if you’re not the one in the crosswalk.

I had just that situation the other day, coming down Clarendon Blvd. I was flying downhill past Courthouse. As I’m in my blissfully clear corridor of a bike lane, I saw cars in the vehicle lanes slowing down just before N Scott St. I figured the cars were just bogged down in traffic as usual, until I saw the stripes for the crosswalk, and I instinctively hit the brakes. Sure enough, a woman with a stroller appeared and finished crossing the road. Gladly, I’d stopped before I ever knew she was there.

Sounds like you were going too fast for that corridor. Your assumption about “stuck in traffic” is the same calculation that drivers make when they overtake at a crosswalk. Please exercise more caution on the crowded streets.

[ginacico]

@Fairlington124 141065 wrote:

Sounds like you were going too fast for that corridor.

Um… As I said, I stopped well before the crosswalk. The point is it’s not at an intersection, and completely obscured by heavy traffic. Riding in a bike lane next to traffic, we pass cars all the time; the trick was determining why they were slowing down. “Too fast” by definition means you don’t have time to react to clues, and I did, even though the clues were hidden.

[Steve O]

@Fairlington124 141065 wrote:

Sounds like you were going too fast for that corridor.

Disagree. By being aware of her surroundings, Gina was able to stop in plenty of time to allow the pedestrian to cross. All worked as it should have.

[jabberwocky]

Not exactly the same, but I almost got hit a few years ago while crossing (in the road) at a light that had just turned green. Someone apparently decided they want to make the light (which had just changed to red), floored it and threaded the needle between the cars stopped in both lanes. Surprised the shit out of me, because I do make a point to check that cars are actually stopped and had started moving when suddenly a car flew across a few feet in front of me at maybe 60mph.

All I remember was seeing the Maryland plate as he sped off. :rolleyes:

[Author]

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