Many vehicle drivers understandably fret about the consequences of traffic congestion on their lives. Still, pedestrians are also road users. The risks they face on our streets must not be underestimated.
One of the significant risks pedestrians face is the poor state of pavements practically everywhere. Let us mention some of the risks we face daily when we walk on our streets.
Pavements are designed to cater for the convenience of garage owners. Some pavements have 45° ramps leading to a semi-basement garage. Others have similar ramps leading to garages that are above street level.
How can persons with mobility issues be expected to feel secure when using their wheelchairs when our pavements have such uneven levels? The same risks are faced by people pushing pushchairs with young infants. Many have no option but to walk or move off the pavement, facing another significant risk from oncoming vehicles.
It seems that more people today own dogs that need to have their daily exercise on our streets. Despite the various sanitary regulations, many of our pavements and open spaces are littered with dog excreta.
Of course, some owners’ uncivil and selfish behaviour is to blame for this. Still, I equally blame the lack of enforcement by whoever is responsible at the local or central government level to keep our streets clean, including strict enforcement of sanitary regulations.
Another daily risk pedestrians face is the different obstacles that abound on our pavements and open spaces. Some local councils frequently place large pots with plants on pavements, making it difficult for pedestrians to walk safely.
Of course, another even more dangerous practice is allowing pavements in streets with a heavy flow of traffic to be used as al fresco dining areas by restaurants and fast food outlets. Why do we have to wait for a major accident to realise how illogical and dangerous it is to create obstacles that pedestrians find challenging to navigate?
The fixes needed to make our roads safer are simple. But that does not mean they are easy
While vehicle drivers must be educated to respect the rights of other road users, it is equally important for pedestrians to understand that they have obligations when using our roads. Some pedestrians, for instance, expect to cross the road on zebra crossings without following the road safety advice by the transport authorities.
Transport Malta, for example, on its website advises pedestrians to make sure they only start to cross the road on a zebra crossing (without pelican traffic lights) after making sure that oncoming car drivers have seen them, and cars have come to a complete stop. It is shocking how this advice is frequently ignored by pedestrians who feel that zebra crossings give them regal rights on our roads.
Road planners are also to blame for placing zebra crossings too near busy road intersections, e.g. near roundabouts. A driver making a 90° turn is sometimes suddenly faced with a zebra crossing, making stopping the car in time difficult and dangerous to prevent an accident. It does not take much to correct these planning errors by ensuring that zebra and pelican crossings are located in places where drivers can be alerted early enough of their presence.
Most of us cannot live without constantly being in touch with the world around us through our smartphones. The use of mobile phones by drivers is still one of the most lethal risks that we all face. Still, the practice of some pedestrians who walk the streets and even cross the roads with their eyes glued on their mobile phone screens is equally dangerous. Once again, this dangerous practice proliferates because of the lack of enforcement of sensible regulations.
A public debate that is currently getting louder relates to the benefits of prohibiting smoking in all public open spaces. Milan introduced such restrictions at the beginning of this year, with authorities arguing that smokers caused seven per cent of air pollution.
I am sceptical about the effectiveness of such a ban. We must rather address the remaining 93 per cent of pollutants threatening all road users’ health. The increasing number of cars on our roads, heavy vehicles carrying construction material and rubble most of the day, and uncollected garbage are indeed a more significant health risk for road users.
The fixes needed to make our roads safer are simple. But that does not mean they are easy. It takes a strong political will to change people’s mindsets. We need to design communities to be walkable and at the same free from avoidable risks.