Pedestrian rules

Can someone please explain proper protocol for pedestrians and street crossing, sidewalk walking, etc in London?

The UK does not have a "jaywalking" law like many parts of the USA, if that is part of what you mean. It is (hopefully!) safer to cross a road at designated places such as traffic lights or pedestrian crossings where you press a button and wait for the "green man" to light up than it is to just dodge between cars but you will see plenty of people doing that especially where traffic is queued or slow moving.

In British English, a "subway" is a pedestrian tunnel that runs under the roadway from one sidewalk to the other and is specifically for pedestrians to use to get from one side of the road to another. You hear of N. Americans ignoring the signs pointing to them because they think it's somewhere to get on a train.

A certain number of foreign visitors get run over every year because they look the wrong way when stepping off the kerb. Vehicles driving on the left means they approach from the side visitors are not used to. Some central district borough councils paint "LOOK RIGHT" in big letters on the road surface at crossings. It is good advice.

If by "protocol" you mean pavement etiquette, then there is not really anything you could point to apart from fairly obvious things like:

Look where you are going and pay attention to the other pedestrians so that you don't bang into them.

Don't stand about on the pavement ("sidewalk") and get in people's way.

Don't take up more room on the pavement than you need.

Pass the people coming towards you on whichever side seems best.

The people in the street that you come across in London are pretty reserved and probably in a hurry to get somewhere so they won't bat an eyelid whatever you do even if you take all your clothes off and place a fried egg on your head and announce that you are from Mars. (They might look around for TV cameras)

I hope this helps.

Here is the section of the Highway Code dealing with pedestrians.

The UK does not have a "jaywalking" law like many parts of the USA, if that is part of what you mean. It is (hopefully!) safer to cross a road at designated places such as traffic lights or pedestrian crossings where you press a button and wait for the "green man" to light up than it is to just dodge between cars but you will see plenty of people doing that especially where traffic is queued or slow moving.

In British English, a "subway" is a pedestrian tunnel that runs under the roadway from one sidewalk to the other and is specifically for pedestrians to use to get from one side of the road to another. You hear of N. Americans ignoring the signs pointing to them because they think it's somewhere to get on a train.

A certain number of foreign visitors get run over every year because they look the wrong way when stepping off the kerb. Vehicles driving on the left means they approach from the side visitors are not used to. Some central district borough councils paint "LOOK RIGHT" in big letters on the road surface at crossings. It is good advice.

If by "protocol" you mean pavement etiquette, then there is not really anything you could point to apart from fairly obvious things like:

Look where you are going and pay attention to the other pedestrians so that you don't bang into them.

Don't stand about on the pavement ("sidewalk") and get in people's way.

Don't take up more room on the pavement than you need.

Pass the people coming towards you on whichever side seems best.

The people in the street that you come across in London are pretty reserved and probably in a hurry to get somewhere so they won't bat an eyelid whatever you do even if you take all your clothes off and place a fried egg on your head and announce that you are from Mars. (They might look around for TV cameras)

I hope this helps.

I don't suppose you could write a 'how to walk down the street' post for 'Just Do It'?  Pretty please.

Dont forget zebra crossings! These are the striped crossings without lights; pedestrians have right of way and drivers must stop for you.

One of the things that I have found very difficult to get used to - and still sometimes have trouble with - is that pedestrians are not given the right of way in the UK (except for zebra crossings).

Note that I am from New York City, where traffic will stop to accommodate crowds of pedestrians.

For example, in the UK, in my experience:

A driver will not slow down to accommodate a pedestrian who is crossing the road, in fact, he might even speed up.

When turning at an intersection, drivers will not slow down in case any pedestians are trying to cross.

If you are waiting for traffic to clear or for a traffic signal to change in order to cross at an intersection, and there is a car that is facing the same way as you and is going to turn in front of you, the second it becomes free to move the driver will speed up and turn right in front of you, even if you've already started to place a foot into the road.

If you are crossing the road and the light changes while you are crossing, drivers wil not wait to let you finish crossing.  They will usually start moving forward as soon as the light turns yellow, even though you're still halfway across the road.

When backing out into the street, drivers will often not check to see if anyone is walking behind them.

If you are walking along a main road and come to an intersection with a small side road, if a driver is coming out of the side road, he will not stop before he gets to the main road so you can cross.

So basically, regardless  of what the official rules are, you have to be extremely vigilant because cars are not going to stop for you.

Another thing that I found is that because cars tend to go faster in residential areas in the UK than in the US,  for a while if  I had to cross a road without a traffic signal my timing was off.

Some central district borough councils paint "LOOK RIGHT" in big letters on the road surface at crossings. It is good advice.

You'll also see "LOOK LEFT" sometimes, either on a one-way street or for the second half of a crossing where there's an island in the middle.

So basically, regardless  of what the official rules are, you have to be extremely vigilant because cars are not going to stop for you.

This is one thing I dislike about what has happened on British roads over the years.  We have a plethora of ever-more complex rules for all sorts of things, yet the basic rules for yielding right-of-way to pedestrians seem to be largely ignored and practically unenforced these days.   I even had an irate driver behind me one time shouting and waving his hands about because I'd "dared" to stop part way through a left turn for a pedestrian who was already right in front of me!

Dont forget zebra crossings! These are the striped crossings without lights; pedestrians have right of way and drivers must stop for you.

Just to clarify, "without lights" for a zebra crossing means without regular red/amber/green traffic lights.   There is a pole with an orange flashing globe on each side of the crossing (you'll still sometimes hear them referred to as Belisha Beacons - named for Leslie Hore-Belisha, the Minister of Transport who introduced them).  In some places now a circular "hat" of amber lights is being retrofitted over the globes to improve visibility in daylight.   Zebra crossings are effectively the British equivalent of the mid-block American crosswalks with a "Ped X-ing" sign and flashing amber lights.

Strictly speaking pedestrians do not have right of way until they step onto the crossing, but in many cases - especially in smaller towns where driving is less frenetic - drivers will stop for somebody who is waiting to cross.
 

What do the white zig zag lines on the roads mean?

It denotes either side of pedestrian crossing, and drivers should not wait, pass, or park within them.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelandTransport/Highwaycode/Signsandmarkings/index.htm

Thanks!!

The zig-zag lines were added in the 1970s.   Note that the no waiting/parking restrictions for pedestrian zig-zag zones are treated more seriously than a regular parking offense, and  carry penalty points on your driver's license.

One of the things that I have found very difficult to get used to - and still sometimes have trouble with - is that pedestrians are not given the right of way in the UK (except for zebra crossings).

Oh my gosh - so true!  I feel like I've almost been hit by a car so many times... haha!  Thankfully, I haven't (knock on / touch wood!) yet, but it is so strange that driver's seem to ignore pedestrians.  Even at blinking yellow lights when they are supposed to stop and let people cross, I always see people speeding through.  I now don't take any risks - I almost always wait for the green man before I cross the street

I always see people speeding through.  I now don't take any risks - I almost always wait for the green man before I cross the street

Maybe that was their point? Lets pretend to kill them and they'll obey pedestrian laws. I know Miami [FL] you just cross the street with the confidence that cars will stop "because they know better." And they always stop... because they know better! 

Maybe that was their point? Lets pretend to kill them and they'll obey pedestrian laws. I know Miami [FL] you just cross the street with the confidence that cars will stop "because they know better." And they always stop... because they know better! 

Having grown up learning and abiding by UK pedestrian rules, I was surprised that cars actually stopped for me in the US, lol.

However, in the UK, cars are supposed to give way to people on pedestrian crossings, but quite often this is ignored and they speed through anyway. It's in the Highway Code:

194
Allow pedestrians plenty of time to cross and do not harass them by revving your engine or edging forward.

195
Zebra crossings. As you approach a zebra crossing
    * look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross
    * you MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing
    * allow more time for stopping on wet or icy roads
    * do not wave or use your horn to invite pedestrians across; this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching
    * be aware of pedestrians approaching from the side of the crossing

A zebra crossing with a central island is two separate crossings (see Rule 20).

196
Signal-controlled crossings
Pelican crossings. These are signal-controlled crossings where flashing amber follows the red ‘Stop’ light. You MUST stop when the red light shows. When the amber light is flashing, you MUST give way to any pedestrians on the crossing. If the amber light is flashing and there are no pedestrians on the crossing, you may proceed with caution.

197
Pelican crossings which go straight across the road are one crossing, even when there is a central island. You MUST wait for pedestrians who are crossing from the other side of the island.

198
Give way to anyone still crossing after the signal for vehicles has changed to green. This advice applies to all crossings.

199
Toucan, puffin and equestrian crossings. These are similar to pelican crossings, but there is no flashing amber phase; the light sequence for traffic at these three crossings is the same as at traffic lights. If the signal-controlled crossing is not working, proceed with extreme caution.


However, you do need to be careful when visiting other countries because sometimes their rules are the opposite. In France, for example, it is the car that has the right of way at a pedestrian crossing and so they usually will not stop for you at all - you have to wait for the coast to be clear before you can cross.

However, in the UK, cars are supposed to give way to people on pedestrian crossings, but quite often this is ignored and they speed through anyway.

And it is still the law that drivers must yield to pedestrians who are crossing when turning into a side street:

170  Take extra care at junctions. You should

    * watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way

This seems to be one of most ignored and least enforced basic traffic laws these days.