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| Sunday, 4 August 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Police clamp down on errant pedestrians by ANTON NONIS Traffic police charged over 100 pedestrians in Colombo last month for not adhering to road rules when they used the highway. All of them were produced in court and were fined for their offences. Usually, whenever an accident occurs, the blame falls on the driver, regardless of whatever the circumstances that cause the accident. In a bid to reduce the number of accidents on Sri Lanka's roads, the police will come down hard on all pedestrians who flout the road rules. Pedestrians contribute considerably to motor accidents. Deputy Inspector General (Traffic), Daya Jayasundera, has instructed his men to discipline all such offenders as they did on irresponsible motorists. However, the DIG has cautioned that motorists should not take it to be to their advantage and drive as they please. What the new approach means is that pedestrians should also do their part for their own safety, making the roads safer for everyone. Police checks were initially carried out in Colombo Fort and Borella under the supervision of Senior Superintendent, Alfred Wijewardene, who said that he selected the morning and evening peak hours for checks as traffic was heavy and, correspondingly, pedestrians were less vigilant at these times. The worst accidents occur at pedestrian crossings. Most road users do not pay much attention to the `yellow lines'(pedestrian crossings) marked across the road. "It was just one blind dash from one side of road to the other," the SSP said. "This is too bad and they have to be disciplined," he added. One is expected to use the crossing that appear within 50 metres of it, but this road rule is repeatedly violated. Although a pedestrian is permitted to cross roads at various points, it is done at great risk. Another common violation is that at the traffic lights, pedestrian is expected to wait until the `green light' is on, but many ignore the colours and cross while the `red' light is on. They cannot use the excuse that there had once been a pedestrian at a particular spot. Those detected violating road rules in Fort and Borella were fined Rs. 250. DIG Jayasundera admitted that there are pedestrian crossings in Colombo with faded yellow markings. He had requested the municipality to paint the markings clearly. He said that the procedure to discipline pedestrians will be taken to all parts of the country without delay. All officers-in-charge of police stations and the traffic officers will be instructed to take the necessary action in this regard. Police records show that there had been a total of 4,651 road accidents of which 46 were fatal during the first six months of this year. Last year, however, there had been 5,245 road accidents with 60 fatalities. |
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