ISLAMABAD: Zebra crossings have either vanished from city roads or remain barely visible, leaving pedestrians in the federal capital to navigate busy thoroughfares at their peril.

The alarming oversight by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has sparked concerns over road safety.

“My seven-year-old son is fond of watching TV for cartoon shows. Whenever he sees a zebra crossing, he asks why there were no such signs in our city,” said Qaiser Hussain, a resident of Bhara Kahu.

Speaking to Dawn at Aabpara market, Qaiser said civic authorities across the globe carefully maintain zebra crossings to ensure pedestrian safety but here the practice was dying. He pointed towards Aabpara Chowk where the signs have faded due to poor upkeep.

Vanishing stripes leave pedestrians at reckless drivers’ mercy

Another citizen named Noor Khan said in other countries, pedestrians abide by road safety rules and cross the road only at designated points. “However, our city lacks proper road signs which leaves women, children, the elderly and differently-abled individuals at drivers’ mercy.”

The situation of Melody Chowk is not different from that of the Aabpara Chowk.

“City managers spend billions on development projects, but no one cares about resolving an inexpensive yet highly important work, which deals with public safety,” said Salman Ahmed, a resident of G-6.

During the visit to various areas, Dawn noticed that most of the zebra crossings had faded while on some roads markings highlighting speed jumps had also gone missing, increasing road hazards.

Zebra crossings are drawn on traffic signals with bright colours, preferably yellow and white for pedestrians’ convenience.

When a traffic light goes red, motorists are supposed to stop their vehicles behind the stripes to allow pedestrians to cross the road.

Conversely, in parts of the city where zebra crossing signs exist, people barely bother to follow them, reflecting a greater sense of disregard for the rule of law.

Another issue that puts precious lives in harm’s way is the practice of crossing busy thoroughfares at virtually any point.

Citizens and most concerningly schoolchildren can be seen indulging in the precarious practice, which often results in accidents. “CDA should draw zebra crossings where they are due and then with the help of traffic police, awareness campaigns should be launched to encourage the public to abide by road safety laws,” said Naveed Ahmed, a resident of G-7.

He said that at traffic signals where motorists leave no room for pedestrians to cross the roads, the police must ensure compliance and penalise drivers.

When contacted, CDA spokesperson Shahid Kiani said that the civic agency was going to conduct a survey of city roads to address the issue. He quoted a member of the civic body’s engineering wing as saying that the exercise was expected to be completed within two weeks. “The civic agency is aware of this issue and soon people will feel the difference,” he said.

Meanwhile, capital police spokesperson Taqi Jawad said lane markings and zebra crossings were important for pedestrians’ safety and ensured the smooth flow of traffic.

“Since CDA deals with such issues, you should contact them to get their point of view,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2025