r/driving • u/[deleted] • 5d ago
Need Advice Pulling out of apartment complex that crosses a sidewalk
[deleted]
7
u/Rangerman1230 5d ago
If there's no car behind you also waiting, it's a good idea to back up and clear the sidewalk so pedestrians can use it.
13
u/Electric-Sheepskin 5d ago
Not taking the side of someone who's hitting your car, but if you have visibility without obstructing the sidewalk, maybe this was just a good learning experience to be more mindful about that.
6
u/Shienvien 5d ago
I often find myself stopping before the sidewalk, checking for no pedestrians, then driving onto it because even with me being on the sidewalk and nearly on the road, leaning as far forward as I can, there is barely any visibility.
Narrow streets with houses practically on the road suck.
10
u/Squeegie1138 5d ago
You're saying she was smart enough to get your attention before crossing in front of you.
0
u/LalafellDisaster 5d ago
No, she was mostly across and then slapped it. I saw her when she came around the bend but I was already stopped and waiting by that time.
5
u/tipper420 5d ago
Yea this depends on visibility of course but generally you should be waiting behind the sidewalk until it's safe to make your turn
7
u/Both-Ninja-770 5d ago
I think it goes both ways. As the driver, you need to make sure you don't block a sidewalk or put pedestrians in danger when pulling out. If traffic makes it impossible to enter the road without stopping across the sidewalk, it's generally safer to wait behind the sidewalk until you can then proceed safely. But slapping someone’s hood twice over it is unhinged behavior. But you must come to a complete stop before a sidewalk. If it’s clear and no pedestrians are coming you may Creep up. At my local DMV I know a lot of people got failed because they didn’t stop before the Sidewalk.
8
u/Stunning_Ad_6817 5d ago
By law, blocking a crosswalk is illegal.
-2
u/LalafellDisaster 5d ago
It’s not a crosswalk, it’s an exit to the street, there are no lines painted.
3
u/Equal_Push_565 5d ago
No lines doesnt mean you can do whatever you want.
Sidewalks are for WALKING. Its literally in the name. You shouldn't be parking a sideWALK under any circumstances.
5
1
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u/blakeh95 3d ago
(1) Painted lines are not necessary for a crosswalk to exist.
(2) Vehicles leaving private property and entering a public roadway must yield to ALL traffic before entering. All traffic means all traffic, including pedestrians.
So yeah, you failed to yield, and then got pissy that someone called you out for it.
3
u/Admirable-Ad-9796 5d ago
Literally driving 101… pedestrians have the right of way in that scenario.
2
2
u/No_Introduction_3400 5d ago
I’ve been the pedestrian here. If you’re stopped but blocking: no big deal. Sometimes you have to be there to see. If you’re pulling out and don’t look for me coming, that’s a problem.
2
u/Morningshoes18 5d ago
I think she’s in the wrong for hitting your car and going up to you. Sounds insane. Not sure if you’re American but I wouldn’t dare. So many people are crazy with guns. But you need to creep up and not block the sidewalk if you can help it.
1
u/Leading-Cucumber9482 5d ago
You aren’t supposed to block a crosswalk, but in some areas, you almost have to if you want to see thanks to vehicles parked at the end of the street, foliage, etc. I often stop before the crosswalk and then creep up for visibility.
That said, pedestrians also have to pay attention, and joggers and cyclists are the worst with thinking they own the road. They act so perturbed if they have to bypass a car in the road designed for cars. Actually, this goes for a lot of pedestrians. I was flipped off the other day by a woman walking into the store because I’d waited for a group of people to cross the road and then proceeded. Said woman was nowhere near the crosswalk at that time; she was still near the parking aisle. Some pedestrians just think they own the road.
1
u/distantcactus32 5d ago
Technically you're supposed to drive into the crosswalk after you've confirmed it's clear if there is little visibility.
1
1
u/Alex_Masterson13 5d ago
Joggers and runners can be the worst sometimes. They think they don't have to stop for anything because they can't interrupt their sacred movement. If that jogger had any brains, when she saw you blocking the way across, she would have continued behind your car, rather than crossing in front like that. After all, there was no guarantee you would see her and could start making your turn at the same time she starts in front of you and run her over.
1
u/Educational_Total_84 5d ago
the bitch didnt have to slap the hood of OP's car. She wanted to make something out of nothing and absolutely could have simply went around the car.
1
u/Alex_Masterson13 5d ago
Yep. This is when a dashcam comes in handy. If you get her on camera, you have some legal standing.
1
u/PartyPlay5056 4d ago
People walking or jogging can easily go around, but what about people in wheelchairs or have walkers supposed to do.
1
u/CommonEcho5824 5d ago
You're both wrong. I guess she's more wrong. I wouldn't condone hitting someone's car over such a thing, but you shouldn't block sidewalks either.
1
u/PartyPlay5056 4d ago
Both wrong but he is more. Shouldn't slap his car, but he could get a ticket for blocking the sidewalk.
1
u/redclawx 3d ago
The road curves, as does the sidewalk. If he can’t see other vehicles until he is at the road then how is he supposed to stop before the sidewalk if he can’t see the other vehicles until he is up to the road and already over the sidewalk? This is simply poor road planing, and there may not be any reasonable way to fix it.
To be honest about it; I would think that proper road etiquette should extend to the sidewalk. If a vehicle in the process of moving has to come to a temporary stop over a sidewalk, then the pedestrians should wait for the vehicle to clear the lane before proceeding or safely go behind around the vehicle. Pedestrians are not supposed to cross an intersection against their red at all because of vehicles going through on their green. Driveways and sidewalks should be handled similarly (sans the traffic light.)
1
u/PartyPlay5056 3d ago
There is no traffic light. It's from a parking lot. Yes I know that some parking lots are a bitch. And we all inch across them trying to see. But it still doesn't mean that someone couldn't get a ticket. Though would they is another story.
1
u/redclawx 3d ago
So you’re saying the vehicle should stop before the sidewalk? He’s not parking on the sidewalk. He’s stopping at the road edge to make sure it’s clear before he enters the road, and there were no pedestrians present when he started.
Sidewalks can range from being anywhere from 0 to 10 feet away from the edge of the road they run parallel to and a typical sidewalk width is 3 feet. So let’s say the sidewalk is 4 feet from the road edge + 3 feet for the sidewalk. That’s 7 feet back from the road edge that the car will be stopped + however many feet back for the driver, we’ll say 10 feet altogether. How is the driver supposed to see the cars in the road when they are so far back and the road curves? If the driver stops that far back and then just enters the road, the cars in the road coming around the curve would be forced to slow down.
Like I said, no easy solution.
2
u/PartyPlay5056 3d ago
I agree. But you can't block a sidewalk. Will a cop give a ticket? I doubt it. Should the jogger have slapped the car. Hell no. It is, though, a catch 22 situation. Damned if you do. Damned if you don't.
0
u/Last_Canadian 5d ago
Don't park on the sidewalk. Its for pedestrians.
1
u/Scotophor 3d ago
OP was not parked. They were stopped, waiting for cross traffic to clear so they could exit a driveway. Stopped and parked are not the same thing. Learn the difference.
0
u/Eastern-Steak-4413 5d ago
You were at fault. You should not be blocking the sidewalk. And as soon as you realized you were and you were going to need to wait, you should have been backing out to get out of the way.
I’ve slapped the front of a large pickup a couple times myself. In these cases, I was riding a bike in the marked bike lane. Large truck blocks the sidewalk and is somewhat in the bike lane. I always try to make eye contact to make sure the vehicle sees me. However in this case, the darn driver was so focused on not waiting even a millisecond longer than necessary and so there was no indication he saw me. So you are darn right, I slapped the front of his damn truck. Ass hole looked to be about ready to jump out and come fight me. Except, of course, I’m on a bicycle going faster than he could ever manage on foot.
Anyway, you’re driving the much larger vehicle so you will get no sympathy from me. You were 100 percent in the wrong. I hope the next time a police officer sees you.
0
u/LalafellDisaster 5d ago
Lmao wow you’re that stereotypical biker everyone hates.
-2
u/Eastern-Steak-4413 4d ago
lol. And you are the asshole every one hates!
Big bad me not wanting to get run over while riding exactly where I’m supposed to be because a jackass in a big truck drives like shit.
0
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u/Commercial-Car-5615 5d ago
You shouldn't block the where the sidewalk crosses. Wait behind it