Re: Pedestrians...
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070108
I think the last sentence in point one sums it up:
General guidance
1
Pavements (including any path along the side of a road) should be used if provided. Where possible, avoid being next to the kerb with your back to the traffic. If you have to step into the road, look both ways first. Always show due care and consideration for others.
We are all free to cross the road almost wherever we like, but we must all bear in mind that the onus is on us, the pedestrian, the ensure we do it as safely as possible. At the point where this incident happened you are only about 50 meters from a safer crossing point in either direction. Is it really worth the risk for a few minutes?
I have seen adult crossing at this point with small children, which I think is very foolhardy. Personally, I always use the one or the other crossings at this point. I have a three year-old daughter and I will always use a crossing if available, even if it means walking that little bit further. We make a game of her pressing the button, waiting, then she tells me when it is safe to cross. We also make a point of looking both ways even when the green man is on.
From a drivers point of view, it's not always safe to to wave a pedestrian across the road in front of you. They may assume because you have beckoned them to cross that it is safe to do so, and may not check for traffic in the opposite direction.
When I was young, many moons ago, it was drilled in to me at school, and by my parents, to use the 'Green cross Code'. With more traffic on the roads, I think it is more important than ever that we follow this guide and drum it in to our children too.