When green amber and red are no guarantee..

as much as I appreciate the pedestrian traffic lights and the guide to safety they represent it must be remembered that as people remain part of the equation it is not a perfect system.

Both the driver and the pedestrian play fast and loose with the rules at lights.  Although it must be said it is most likely the pedestrian who instigator of an incident or not who will loose any resultant altercation.

I am super cautious, I wait for the little green man who lights up after the red light for the cars, and then I look both ways and then cross.  Even this caution is no guarantee, one evening in heavy rain (so I was wearing a white waterproof outfit, top and trousers, so fairly visible) I came to my favourite set of lights.  Pushed the button and waited, the lights changed, amber to red and a white mini van pulled to a stop on my right, I looked to my left no vehicles approaching green man beckoning and I started to cross. Just short of half way I had the strong feeling I should stop, I did and in that moment a grey car whizzed over the crossing from the left in front of me and sped off into the darkness.  The driver of the white van and I exchanged shocked looks and then I finished (luckily) my journey home.

At the T junction lights nearer to the bus stop it is mainly the pedestrians who take the gamble to nip across against the lights, they risk all their future years to gain a few minutes or even seconds.  I refuse to cross unless my little green friend is there.  I get particularly distressed when those flouting the rules do so with children, or pushing a buggy, pram out into the road first.  Oh and the cyclists can be just as bad (the crossing forms part of a cycle path) deciding time after time they can whiz across just as the lights are changing.  So far they have been fortunate and so have I, as I do not want to witness the potential result of such folly.

Given that I use the crossing at least twice a day five to six days a week and most days someone just can't wait, I fear the odds are ever increasing that I will witness an accident there.