‘I was within millimetres of being hit’: The Qld road rule you didn’t know you’d been breaking

It’s a road rule most drivers probably don’t realise they’ve been breaking.

And Queensland Walks executive officer Anna Campbell has a personal experience of almost being hit by a car while walking with her child.

Under Queensland’s Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Road Rules) Regulation 2009, drivers turning into a side road must give way to pedestrians, bicycle riders and people using personal mobility devices.

The maximum penalty for breaking the law is a $3226 fine.

A video from Queensland Walks – featuring fantastic acting from Brisbane school kids – explains drivers should stop, wave people across the road, and wait for the road to clear before moving forward.

Pedestrians, cyclists and people on e-scooters have right of way, but they’re still vulnerable. They should look and listen in all directions for approaching traffic, and think about whether it is safe to cross.

So it’s not just zebra crossings and traffic lights where cars must give priority to people on foot and bikes.

Campbell says intersections are one of the biggest hazards for pedestrians, simply because many drivers are unaware of the rule. And she’s experienced it personally.

“I was within millimetres of being hit by a parent driver, along with my primary school aged child, their friend and the doggo,” she said.

“The parent driver was turning across a busy road into a neighbourhood street where we were crossing on foot one block from the school.

“We stopped in time as the driver used the horn, however it was frightening for all of us, and I felt our lives flash before our eyes.

“We couldn’t see the driver. We had every right to be crossing.

“The driver was unaware of the basic road rule and still did not understand the need to give way to the pedestrians, and to especially look out for children near a school zone.”

Campbell said side streets and slip lanes without safe crossings were high-risk areas for people on foot.

“This is one of the great unknown road rules by many drivers,” she said.

With 50¢ fares starting on Monday, safer streets for pedestrians are vital, given that most bus, train and CityCat journeys begin and end with walking.

“The next step in this announcement will be recognising how important it is to have well-connected, well-maintained and shaded footpaths and shelters, and safe crossings designed for people walking to public transport,” Campbell said.

“We will need to invest heavily in making walking to public transport accessible and attractive for everyone, well ahead of the Games.

“Design it right, and urban Queenslanders will access transit without the need for very expensive car parks.”

The 50¢ fares policy was also supported by Dr Jennifer Rayner, from the Climate Council, who said more people using shared and active transport more often was the “biggest opportunity to cut climate pollution from our transport system this decade, all while … improving congestion in our cities”.

And if you need another excuse to lace up your shoes and get outside, this month is Queensland Walks Month.

You can join the 10,000 steps challenge or do the Walk my Street checklist to rate walkability in your area, with the crowdsourced project so far revealing 56 per cent of participants could not cross their street easily and safely without fear.

More than four out of five said there were no zebra or raised priority crossings to get them safely across the road, and 64 per cent said vehicles were not slow enough to allow them to feel safe walking.

We want more kids riding their bikes and walking to school because it will cut traffic congestion and improve health, and the intersection rule is particularly beneficial to children who are still learning road safety.

In a world where car sales – particularly of bigger cars like SUVs – are accelerating, following rules that enforce safety and common courtesy will make our communities more about people and less about rushing from A to B.