Crossing point

The zebra crossing. The dotted white lines on the road indicate to the motorist exactly how close they may be permitted to stop in relation to the crossing itself. A safer place to cross the road, and a place where pedestrians are expected to be crossing the road. This also functions at another level; a crossing is the one place on a road where pedestrians know that they will be given right of way, and that traffic will stop if a pedestrian is seen stood at the side of the road. Although this may seem a reasonable and obvious statement, if a pedestrian stands at the side of a road, anywhere else, where there is no crossing point, they may stand there all day and still never be given the opportunity to cross the road. So, a pedestrian crossing serves as instructing politeness in to society, where politeness might not otherwise exist; it is also considered bad manners to not stop and give way to a waiting pedestrian, so there is also a certain degree of behavioural patterning being instilled in to society by the very use of areas that order society to behave in a certain manner, and to 'willingly' comply with the status quo. This is an unusual behaviour pattern, because it is up to both parties involved, both motorist and pedestrian, to stop at this point; a pedestrian will stop here and wait until a driver stops, only then will the pedestrian attempt to cross, even if the road is not overly busy or dangerous. Both parties are showing polite behavioural patterning that allows for society to run smoothly in much the same way that the crossing will run smoothly if these patterns of behaviour continue to exist and be adhered to by all people involved.