This is the long-standing and uniformly unobserved imaginary zebra crossing rule. According to this wording, every side road has an imaginary zebra crossing across its entrance.KAJ wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 4:57 pmHighway Code Rule 8IvanV wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 4:30 pm<snip>
And yes this does happen in London, regularly. Just the other day, by the British Museum, I was trying to turn right into a side turn on my bicycle. A car coming from the opposite direction, also turning into that road, which I was due to follow, screeched to a halt as it entered that road to wave a patiently waiting pedestrian across. I'd already starting my turn to follow it, and was now stopped at right angles half way across the wrong carriageway with a car bearing down on me...Rule H2At a junction. When you are crossing or waiting to cross the road, other traffic should give way. Look out for traffic turning into the road, especially from behind you, and cross at a place where drivers can see you. If you have started crossing and traffic wants to turn into the road, you have priority and they should give way (see Rules H2 and 170).Rule H2 - Rule for drivers, motorcyclists, horse drawn vehicles, horse riders and cyclists
At a junction you should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning.
In the real world, actual zebra crossings are painted in locations where zebra crossing rules apply, including very often in precisely locations such as these. If it was really expected that there was a zebra crossing without painting one, then it wouldn't be necessary to paint one. If there isn't a zebra crossing painted there, pedestrians understand they can't pretend there is, whatever it might say in the highway code. Clearly road users understand they should not run over pedestrians who are already crossing. But we don't give way to pedestrians still on the kerb, because the result is confusion and accidents, and they have no expectation of it.
What happened above is one example of why it is an impractical rule. People like me trying to turn right will be hung out to dry at right angles across the wrong carriage way with cars bearing down on us if they step out and force us to stop there. It also doesn't work turning left either, because the car behind you will rear end you if you screech to halt to give way to a pedestrian who thinks they can step out in front of you turning left.