It's not a pedestrian crossing where vehicles have to give way. The island is a refuge to assist pedestrians in crossing by splitting the task in two. Wise to exercise caution though as a pedestrian might not see it that way.

If you study the google maps image you will see that the island has a tall pole with black and white bands at the top with what looks like a yellow globe on the top, just like a formal pedestrian crossing used to have.

So it's presumably a pedestrian crossing of some sort, very badly located with a bus stop to one side of it, thereby preventing drivers observing any pedestrians crossing if a bus happens to be stopped.

But the general rule that a pedestrian in the road has priority still applies.

It's not a pedestrian crossing where vehicles have to give way. The island is a refuge to assist pedestrians in crossing by splitting the task in two. Wise to exercise caution though as a pedestrian might not see it that way.

The bolded bit is exactly what my driving instructor told me 47 years ago regarding zebra crossings with a refuge. In the eyes of the law they're two crossings but that won't help if you knockdown a pedestrian who sees it the other way.

Looking back at the pictures from earlier dates on Streetview the globe is not amber, more like white. Also, if it were a zebra crossing the Belisha beacons would be on both sides, at least three in total as it's a split crossing.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 16/06/2024 at 08:32

Thanks for the responses. So not a zebra crossing but this inevitably makes it tricky imo to see if a pedestrian is wanting to cross and as you approach it you can't prepare in time.

On Streetview it looks as though the road is street lit and both straight and level so hazard perception shouldn't be too challenging.

The main possible hazard seems to be the bus stop. If you cannot see well enough to pass a bus using the stop then wait behind until it moves. London's buses have been cashless for donkey's years so you're not waiting for the driver to issue tickets and count out change.

In fact passing a stopped bus isn't something to be undertaken lightly. I think it was cycling writer Richard Ballantine who said part of defensive riding was to assume that every stopped bus was about to disgorge100 passengers with zero road sense.

More than once, even riding cautiously, I've had people step out from in front of a bus that's stopped on Gold Street in Northampton. That's why I keep the brakes covered while in an urban setting.

On that point I think it has been illegal for many years in the US and Canada to pass a stationary school bus, so the same argument might apply to any bus ?

Not legally I don't think but the US law is rooted in common sense and prioritising children over drivers.

Either side of the crossing and in the island are the raised surface pavers. I have seen these used at T junctions, amongst others and assumed that they were for partially sighted to identify a site for crossing the road.

Yes, they're tactile paving for the benefit of sight-impaired people.

Never really thought about it before, but if these are to identify to the partially sighted that it's a place to cross the road, wouldn't it be a good idea to advertise the fact to drivers approaching?

In some places, tactile paving is used at every dropped kerb - so not practical to sign every one - drivers should always expect the possibility of pedestrians.