[bikeqld] Moggill Rd crossing at Indooroopilly

[Ian Lister]

On Thu, 28 Jan 2010, Peter Whittle wrote:
> Correct me if I'm wrong, but cars/trucks, when turning, are obliged to give
> way to pedestrians? If so, why on earth would a zebra crossing be put on a
> corner? Redundant, surely?

Almost. The obligation to give way to a pedestrian remains the same:

Without a pedestrian (zebra) crossing, section 72 "Giving way at an 
intersection (except a T-intersection or roundabout)" subsection (4) says 
"If the driver is turning left using a slip lane, the driver must give way 
to - [..] (b) any pedestrian on the slip lane."

With a crossing, section 81 "Giving way at a pedestrian crossing" 
subsection (2) says "A driver must give way to any pedestrian on a 
pedestrian crossing."

I can't see any difference in requirements on drivers to give way to 
pedestrians looking to cross (there are none I can see), nor on 
pedestrians; section 236 "Pedestrians not to cause a traffic hazard or 
obstruction" appears to apply equally to both.

However, section 81 "Giving way at a pedestrian crossing" subsection (1) 
imposes an additional requirement that "A driver approaching a pedestrian 
crossing must drive at a speed at which the driver can, if necessary, stop 
safely before the crossing."

Not that many motorists take any notice of either of section 81's 
requirements at that particular location. However I imagine even fewer 
will give way if there's no marked crossing at all. Do we care?

I think one of the key things to decide and be clear on when pushing for a 
change here is whether we want motorists to be required to give way to 
pedestrians and/or cyclists trying to cross the road, or whether we're 
happy to wait for a break in the traffic. Given the high volume of traffic 
at this intersection, the high speed of the traffic (particularly on the 
southern slip lane), and the general lack of inclination of motorists to 
bother indicating a turn, it could take quite some time to wait for a 
sufficient safe break. On the other hand, getting a change that would 
require motorists to give way to crossing cyclists would be a lot more 
challenging. Would people here be happy having to wait for a break to 
cross? Which outcome should we be pushing for?

Of course, none of this precludes other approaches such as reducing the 
radius (and, consequently, design speed) of the southern slip lane, 
although such an approach might influence our other choices.

Ian