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Anna Mallia writes Abroad, the pedestrian is regarded as forming part of the traffic just as cars and car drivers
In Malta the pedestrian is always right. Who knows how many times we bumped into the car in front of us because somebody decided there and than to cross the street. Who knows how many other times we decided not to stop at a zebra crossing to avoid a collision arguing that it is cheaper and less trouble to pay a fine than to get your car fixed.
Drivers have their code of conduct and the laws which they are obliged to obey. Pedestrians only know that they should preferably cross on the zebra crossing and that they can cross wherever and whenever. The incident reported this week in Floriana where a woman was seriously injured when she crossed the road from the centre strip behind Portes des Bombes is a case in point.
Pedestrians are responsible too
The accident happened during the rush hour and could have been avoided. This is a case that shows that we are doing little, if anything at all, to teach the pedestrians how to cross the streets. We tell them that as long as they keep a proper look out, they are free to cross the streets and any street, and at any time. Scenes of women pushing their pushchairs in the danger zone to attract the attention of drivers are common. They assume that cars can see them and are going to stop and when that poor driver is unlucky as the one in Floriana was this week, the public’s sympathy is generally always with the pedestrian and not with the person behind the wheel.
Road safety is not a priority
But let us face it – do we really care about the safety in our streets? Certainly not! Just look at the state of our streets. Just look at the state of our zebra-crossing zones. The stripes of the zebra are in the majority of case all gone and the lights that were installed to signal to the driver the sign of a pedestrian are all out of order. It is true that the motorists have to be more careful so that their vehicle is not transformed into a lethal weapon or a weapon of offence, but it is also true that road safety is not a priority in Malta.
Fine the pedestrians
Unfortunately we still have no law that fines the pedestrians when they do not cross on the zebra crossing. In Malta neither do we have streets that are identified as ‘Walk/Don’t Walk’ or as ‘Cross and Walk’ traffic signals.
Abroad, the pedestrian is regarded as forming part of the traffic just as cars and car drivers. I remember when I was studying at Dalhousie University in Halifax Canada more than fifteen years ago, when I saw these ‘Cross and Walk’ signs for the first time, stretching from one side of the street to the other and I crossed the street only a couple of feet away from the sign. A 40 dollar fine was served on me on the spot and I had to pay it there and then. Little did it interest the traffic police that we had no such law in Malta.
Education first
We must start educating the pedestrians because I repeat, the accident in Floriana could have been prevented. Children at schools must feel that they belong to the community - it is not enough to place a policeman before and after school to control the traffic. Children ought to take part in this exercise as well by assisting the police. Abroad this exercise is handled daily by the children and the local council.
However, we must first teach them what is expected from them as pedestrians: to cross at intersections only; never to cross from in-between parked cars; before crossing, to look left, right and left again and listen for traffic; and to obey all traffic signs and signals. The same exercise needs to be carried out with adults. Little or no information is given on the safe way to cross the streets. On an island where there is a car for every two persons, more zones for pedestrians and an education campaign should be a priority. But education on its own is not enough; it is time to start fining the pedestrians for failing to abide by the traffic signals.
Il-karrozzini
It is the same with our karrozzini. I do not agree that karrozzini should be treated as motor vehicles in our streets. During the rush hour they are a hazard to themselves and to others. It is not safe to allow them to use all the roads and streets at any time of the day. Certain major roads should not be accessible to karrozzini and neither should they be allowed to use other busy roads during the rush hour.
Something must be done to make our streets safer for both motorists and pedestrians. The motor-vehicle regulations are not enough. Pedestrians should have regulations too. And the authorities must ensure that pedestrian and traffic zones are up to standard and properly maintained. Or are they waiting for more deaths and more tragic accidents to happen before they take the matter seriously?
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