Shared Zones - Give Way!

Belco77 said :

The author seems to think a shared zone is a pedestrian crossing; I don’t think that’s right.

I read the road rules. Don’t ‘think’, read.

I don’t stop for pedestrians on the national library/questacon shared zone. I drive slow and if there’s a pedestrian I react to what they do, Saigon-style. if they step onto the road, I stop. but they generally wait for me to pass. Whatever happens, I don’t get angry.

The author seems to think a shared zone is a pedestrian crossing; I don’t think that’s right.

shared zones in CBR are a joke. see also: Childers st.

worst design for a shared zone ever?

Canberrans and shared zones simply aren’t a good mix..It’s a new idea we haven’t quite gotten used to and if the ‘shared’ zone just near the Family court/ANU is any example there is a near miss there hourly. When I drive through there half the time pedestrians wait for me to pass or simply walk out in front..Make it a crossing or be done with it!

Masquara said :

c_c: “surely you of all people would be aware of the need to reduce the burden on ComCare”.

Um what burden? Comcare doesn’t cover walking to and from work …

Travelling between home and ordinary place of work is excluded.

If someone though could make a successful claim for hitting their head on a light fitting, I’m willing to bet they could successfully claim for the walk to and from lunch, or as Comcare puts it, ordinary recess.

It’s an all round ridiculous concept. The only way it could work is if they painted the entire road like a zebra crossing.

c_c: “surely you of all people would be aware of the need to reduce the burden on ComCare”.

Um what burden? Comcare doesn’t cover walking to and from work …

Yep, deadly serious. They just started appearing, didn’t they? Along with the assumption that everyone knew – or would correctly guess – the rules/etiquette. And for the most part, there’s no problems. Until there is.

shirty_bear said :

I would put it to you that it’s unclear to many – maybe most – what the rules are in a shared zone. Or even if there are any.

Typically, a driver learns the ins and out of the road rules at licence-getting time. Potentially decades ago. Shared zones – did they exist then? I think not. So now they spring up. So what? Are they footpaths we’re allowed to drive on? Are they unmarked crossings? Are they official-looking paved-but-not-really non-crossings? Roads where pedestrians actually have right of way?
I haven’t absorbed the answers by osmosis and never gave a big enough crap to go find out.

Yes, commonsense says take it easy, and look out for pedestrians. Apart from the fact that this should be standard operating procedure anyway, there’s at least two problems:
1. Commonsense ain’t all that common
2. What, in fact, are the rules?

They seem to be a dumb idea.

While I can appreciate where you are coming from, I tend to think the signs at each end saying “10kph Shared Zone” would give a driver something of a clue…?

I would put it to you that it’s unclear to many – maybe most – what the rules are in a shared zone. Or even if there are any.

Typically, a driver learns the ins and out of the road rules at licence-getting time. Potentially decades ago. Shared zones – did they exist then? I think not. So now they spring up. So what? Are they footpaths we’re allowed to drive on? Are they unmarked crossings? Are they official-looking paved-but-not-really non-crossings? Roads where pedestrians actually have right of way?
I haven’t absorbed the answers by osmosis and never gave a big enough crap to go find out.

Yes, commonsense says take it easy, and look out for pedestrians. Apart from the fact that this should be standard operating procedure anyway, there’s at least two problems:
1. Commonsense ain’t all that common
2. What, in fact, are the rules?

They seem to be a dumb idea.