[BITList] New pedestrian law in France or how to die lawfully

[franka]

A  change in French law which gives pedestrians the right to cross the 
road anywhere they choose by clearly signalling their intention so to 
do.This applies everywhere except within 50 metres of a designated crossing.

I would not have been surprised to learn that many ? perhaps most ? of 
my English-speaking colleagues were unaware of this new law, which has 
not been as well-publicised as one may imagine.

What actually surprised me was how many of my French friends and 
colleagues made comments such as: ?Are you sure??, ?Don?t be 
ridiculous?. ?That is insane? and some that I dare not publish here.

Whether or not you speak or understand French (Google translate is 
helpful), I recommend you take a look at this video link 
<http://www.francesoir.fr/actualite/societe/j-ai-applique-nouveau-code-route-65179.html> 
in which a young (and incredibly brave) journalist from */France Soir/* 
takes her life into her hands in the streets of Paris to see how well 
(or not) the new law is working.

I particularly enjoyed the comment of the motorist with sunglasses on 
his head and wearing a flying jacket - So pedestrians have the right to 
cross the road, using their phones and without a care ? does that give 
us the right to drive across the pavement?

Would a similar law work in the UK?Your comments


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