Near Miss (Not Me)

Diamond Geezer published these thoughts on “Guerilla Pedestrians” yesterday.

Let me relate what I saw happen – and what very nearly happened – this morning, because it scared me.

I was walking across the Euston Road – crossing at the pedestrian crossing between St Pancras station and the Burger King just opposite.

The crossing is one of those two-stage affairs, and the lights are never in sync to let you cross all the way. Nevertheless, I was waiting on the north side of the road with the traffic still flowing when a minicab swerved violently. A young girl had stepped right into the traffic. The cab driver missed her, avoided hitting another car, and let out a blast on his horn.

I could see his face.

It was a look of fear.

He’d nearly killed a small child.

How had she been allowed to step out like that? Only now was [someone I assume was] the father grabbing her hand. It looked like he was taking her and two other boys, to school on the other side of the road where there’s a primary school.

But he wasn’t using the pedestrian crossing – the crossing right there!

No he was using the middle of the road – making use of Keep Clear bit of the road that is there for cyclists and has no pedestrian markings.

This was just madness. Even after his daughter had nearly been run over, there he was, marching out into the road with all three kids rather than use the perfectly good pedestrian crossing 10m away.

Now I don’t want to be all “health and safety” – but that father really needs to learn some basic parenting.

In retrospect I wish I’d run over to him and told him off. I can only hope that the near miss made him think twice about his responsibilities.


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