What’s the deal with zebra crossings in the Netherlands? Once upon a time you’d find me standing daily at the side of the road with my three sons waiting to cross over to the other side. Often I’d have a pram with me (my toddler sitting comfortably in it) and the four of us would wait patiently at a zebra crossing. To no avail.
Why Do People Stand at Zebra Crossings?
Funnily enough, contrary to what many drivers seemed to think, we pedestrians do not stand at a zebra crossing in every kind of Dutch weather for our fun.
We do not stand waiting because we have nothing better to do than stand at the side of the road; we actually want to cross the road, safely and promptly on our way to school, work, or wherever.
Are Pedestrians Invisible at Zebra Crossings?
So many drivers here simply ignore the existence of the black and white lines on the tarmac, and blissfully pretend not to see the blue road signs displaying the presence of an impending crossing.
It baffled me that SO MANY cars fail to stop to allow our safe crossing.
I embarked on a fantasy that my sons and I had mysteriously acquired the magical power of being invisible. We contemplated the fun we could have with our invisibility powers – think Harry Potter’s Invisible cloak type of fun.
But no, other people passing by did acknowledge our existence. In fact, most of the drivers sailing past us even made a point of looking at the four of us standing at the roadside. As if to ask, what are you doing there?
We were, disappointingly, not actually invisible.
The only other explanation was that to doubt my belief that pedestrians have right of way at a zebra crossing.
The Official Blurb About Dutch Zebra Crossings
So to save you the trouble, I have trawled the trusty Internet to double check the Dutch traffic regulations. The first thing I found was some advice on the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office website:
“Pedestrians should be extremely careful when crossing roads, especially on zebra crossings. Look out for cycles and mopeds, which enjoy right of way over motor vehicles and often ignore road traffic rules as well as red lights.”
Well, no beating around the bush there. If you value your life watch out on the Dutch crossings, and if a car doesn’t get you then a bike or scooter just might.
On the Dutch ‘Ministry of Transport and Public Works’ website I found, quite clearly stated, under Article 49 the following;
“Drivers must give way at all times to pedestrians and drivers of invalid carriages who are crossing, or obviously waiting to cross at a pedestrian crossing.
Subsection 2 above does not apply to drivers of vehicles forming part of a military convoy.”
So there you have it. I am not crazy, and my expectations that drivers will stop for me and my clan as I wait at the zebra crossing each morning are not wild fantasy.
I ruled out the subsection 2 exclusion. After much observation and analysis I concluded that it was definitely not military tanks or army jeeps passing us daily.
So, all that is left is the fact that we were not being obvious enough whilst waiting at the side of the road.
That gives us something to work with. Right?
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