KARACHI: MVO silent over right of way to pedestrians
By Arman Sabir
KARACHI, Nov 9: Pedestrians have not been given right of way legally in the Motor Vehicle Ordinance resulting in 50 per cent of road accidents in the city involving pedestrians with 26 per cent children below 12 years of age.
The Karachi Mass Transit Cell of the city government has recommended amendment to the ordinance for giving the right of way to pedestrians. Besides, additional legislation has also been proposed, including imposing restrictions on vendors using streets, bus bays and footways; banning parking on footways or roadsides where provision for footpaths is not available, restricting vehicles and motorbikes to be parked on footpaths.
These proposals were made by the KMTC in a report prepared for the Sindh Road Safety Programme as the year 2005 had been declared “Road Safety Year”.
The KMTC observes that the major category of road users involved in accidents is pedestrians, who frequently walk on carriageways and mingle with traffic. They cross from behind parked vehicles without taking sufficient precautions and often stand in middle of a road. A high involvement of schoolchildren has also been noticed in such accidents. It says that there is hardly any doubt that pedestrians are on serious risk and without a coordinated and appropriate action by the authorities and a willingness of the community to accept new behaviour patterns, the situation may worsens as a number of vehicles on roads is rapidly increasing.
The reports states that there are only a few pedestrian crossings in the city and if a pedestrian uses a marked zebra crossing, he or she is not given the right of way. Besides, pedestrians are faced with innumerable hazards in urban areas such as open manholes, parked cars, uneven footways, hawkers, and high kerbs.
It has also been noticed that pedestrians themselves do not normally approach road crossing in sensible manner. Such pedestrians are called by the KMTC as jaywalkers who are oblivious to the dangers of moving traffic. Footways, which should be a safe passage for a pedestrian are often not provided at all or when provided, are encroached upon by erected structure, hawkers, etc.
The KMTC proposes that properly marked zebra crossing along with pedestrian signal (pelican crossing), pedestrian bridges, subways, should be established at all those places where high volume of vehicular and pedestrian flow is experienced. In its study, the KMTC identifies 28 high-risk spots in the city for construction of pedestrian overpasses or underpasses but the pace of implementation needs to be expedited.
The report suggests that a close coordination between traffic police and district authorities should be made in implementing road safety measures.
It has been observed that a mass publicity for promotion of road safety is one of the essential components in reducing the number of road accidents. An effective publicity campaign has been proposed involving all stakeholders, including provincial information department, media management department of the city government and other district governments in Sindh to coordinate with press and electronic media. The criteria for success of campaign should be gauged on reduction in rate of road accidents and a change in public behaviour.
The accident data in Karachi indicates that pedestrians, bus passengers, and professional drivers are most frequently involved in accidents. The behaviour observation reveals that many pedestrians do not walk on pavements and cross roads safely. Many bus passengers wait for buses on roads. Many drivers do not look around before changing position on roads. The publicity campaign should focus how to cross roads, where to walk, how to make queue for buses, how to comply with rules by drivers, turning procedures, and give way rules.
Short clips on road safety in cinema, television and cable service would be an effective way of educating people and changing the social behaviour, it has been suggested.
